China’s procurement agency recently told government departments to stop buying antivirus software from Symantec Corp and Kaspersky Lab over security concerns, people familiar with the matter said.
The exclusion follows a notice from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in June that Symantec software had security vulnerabilities, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information has not been made public.
The procurement agency removed the companies’ antivirus programs from its list of approved software, which includes products offered by domestic companies, including Qihoo 360 Technology Co (奇虎360) and Kingsoft Corp (金山在線), the people said.
China has increased scrutiny of foreign companies in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations of a US National Security Agency spying program and the indictments of five Chinese military officers for allegedly stealing corporate secrets.
Google Inc and Apple Inc have been criticized by state media for allegedly cooperating with US spying while Microsoft Corp was excluded from a government purchasing order.
“Symantec does not put hidden functionality or back doors into any of its technologies — not for the NSA or any other government entities,” the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Moscow-based Kaspersky did not immediately respond to an e- mailed request for comment.
The ministry notice said Symantec’s Data Loss Prevention software contained high-risk security loopholes, including backdoors that could allow outside access, said another person who also asked not to be identified because the order has not been made public.
Beijing Youth Daily reported on Friday last week that Symantec and Kaspersky have been excluded by the government.
Shares of Mountain View, California-based Symantec fell 2.1 percent the same day in New York, the biggest drop since March, to close at US$23.17.
China said in May it would vet technology companies operating in the country for potential national-security breaches after the government threatened retaliation for the US indictment of the Chinese officers.
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