Eintracht Frankfurt has terminated the sponsorship contract with the Russian software company Kaspersky with immediate effect. The Hessians announced this on Tuesday.
An official warning from the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), which had expressed doubts about the reliability of the manufacturer of cyber security systems, was decisive for the separation. A partnership based on trust is therefore no longer possible.
“We have always made it clear that we base the continuation of the partnership with Kaspersky on facts and attitudes and not on nationalities. With the warning from the BSI, the facts and thus the trust in the protectability of Kaspersky’s products and services has changed significantly.” , said Eintracht board spokesman Axel Hellmann.
The association looks back “on a very trusting and successful partnership with Kaspersky”. “We very much regret the development,” Hellmann continued.
Kaspersky warning
The Federal Office for Information Security had warned in a message about the virus protection software.
“The actions of military and/or intelligence forces in Russia and the threats made by Russia against the EU, NATO and the Federal Republic of Germany in the course of the current armed conflict are associated with a considerable risk of a successful IT attack,” it says in the justification.
A Russian IT manufacturer could “perform offensive operations itself, be forced against its will to attack target systems, or be spied on without its knowledge as a victim of a cyber operation, or be misused as a tool for attacks against its own customers”. The BSI therefore recommends replacing Kaspersky with alternative products.