Russian military to bid goodbye to Windows soon, and welcome Astra Linux

Russian military plans to replace Microsoft Windows with Astra Linux

Russian army could very soon be replacing the Windows operating system on its military systems with Astra Linux.

For those unaware, Astra Linux is a Debian-based Linux operating system developed to meet the needs of theย Russian army, otherย armed forcesย and intelligence agencies. It provides data protection up to the level of “top secret” inย Russian classified information grade and has been officially certified byย Russian Defense Ministry,ย Federal Service for Technical and Export Controlย andย Federal Security Service.

In fact, Astra Linuxย distribution was developed by Russian company RusBITech in 2008 for use by Russian private companies but it was later expanded to the local government sector, where it became popular with military contractors.

Currently, Astra Linux has a security clearance of “special importance” from the Russian Federal Service for Technical and Export Control (FSTEC), which means the OS can now be used in Russian Government offices with the highest standards of data privacy and secrecy.

According to Astra Linuxโ€™s Roman Mylitsyn, the switch over to Astra Linux distro will allow reducing the costs for security verification for system integrity and security verification used by the Russian armed forces.

With Microsoft products installed in the ministry’s computers being ‘vulnerable to cyber attacks’ and also the possibility of the existence of hidden backdoorsย in the Windows OS has prompted the Russian army to implement Astra Linux in their defense systems. In fact, the Russian defense ministry had already announced the plans to ditch Windows way back in January 2018.

โ€œThere is hope that the domesticย OSย [operating system] will be able to replace the Microsoft product. Of course, this is good news for the Russian market,โ€ German Klimenko, formerย ITย advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin and chairman of the board of Russiaโ€™s Digital Economy Development Fund, a venture capital fund run by the government said while speaking to the Russian newspaperย Izvestiaย onย Friday.

โ€œThe Russian government doesnโ€™t trust systems developed by foreign companies to handle sensitive data, due to fears of espionage through those systems,โ€ said Justin Sherman, Cybersecurity Policy Fellow at New America. โ€œUsing domestically produced technologies to manage sensitive data is just another component of the Kremlinโ€™s broader interest in exercising more autonomy over the digital machines and communications within itsย borders.โ€

Sam Bendett, Research Analyst with the Center for Naval Analysesโ€™ International Affairs Group, said, โ€œOne of the main sticking points for the Russian government was the fact that imported operating systems had vulnerabilities and back doors that Moscow thought could be exploited by international intelligence agenciesโ€ฆThis is essentially Russia ensuring its cybersecurity against potential intrusions.โ€

Earlier this week, similar reasons were cited forย the Chinese Military to replace the Windows OS on their military systems.

Source: ZDNet

Kavita Iyer
Kavita Iyerhttps://www.techworm.net
An individual, optimist, homemaker, foodie, a die hard cricket fan and most importantly one who believes in Being Human!!!
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