The BSI agency said that Russian government agents could coerce the Russia-based cyber-security company to hack IT systems abroad or agents could clandestinely use its technology to launch cyberattacks without its knowledge.

As you might expect the company was a little miffed at this judgement as it said it was a privately-managed company with no ties to the Russian government.

The company thinks that the warning by BSI was politically motivated, and it was having a quiet word with the outfit to clarify the matter. The BSI warning comes as Tsar Putin uses conventional and cyber warfare to back its invasion of Ukraine.

The BSI said that German companies, as well as government agencies that manage critical infrastructure, were particularly at risk of a hacking attack.