Federal Agencies Must Drop Acronis Software by Jan. 27
Officials cite foreign ownership and Russia-linked development ties, though no concrete evidence of backdoors has been found.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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The Department of Homeland Security ordered federal civilian agencies to remove all Acronis software products, with a directive signed July 31 by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The action is an enforced federal directive, not an announcement, and it applies only to government use.
Why it matters
The directive rests on supply chain and foreign ownership concerns rather than confirmed technical compromise, since federal officials found no concrete evidence of backdoors in Acronis software. It signals how U.S. procurement rules are being used to screen security vendors by ownership and development ties, a trend that affects how software suppliers with foreign or private-equity ownership are evaluated.
The directive is based on a risk assessment of foreign ownership, control or influence and supply chain exposure rather than a documented vulnerability in the software itself. Federal officials stated they found no concrete evidence of backdoors in Acronis products.
The players
Department of Homeland Security
The U.S. cabinet department whose secretary signed the directive ordering removal of Acronis products from federal civilian systems.
Markwayne Mullin
The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security who signed the directive removing Acronis software from federal civilian agencies.
Federal Acquisition Security Council
The federal body that assessed Acronis for foreign ownership, control or influence and supply chain risks.
Acronis
A Switzerland-headquartered data protection and backup software company now majority-owned by private equity firm EQT.
EQT
A European private equity firm that acquired a majority stake in Acronis in 2025.
The details
The Federal Acquisition Security Council, a federal body that reviews supply chain risk in government technology purchases, assessed Acronis for foreign ownership, control or influence. Acronis is headquartered in Switzerland and was majority-acquired by private equity firm EQT in 2025, and officials cited the company's development ties to Russia as a concern. The directive requires civilian agencies to remove all Acronis products, but it does not bar the company from operating in the private sector.
Timeline
July 31: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin signed the directive.
2025: EQT acquired a majority stake in Acronis.
January 27: Deadline for federal agencies to eliminate Acronis software.
The Tech Race
The action follows the federal government's broader use of supply chain and foreign ownership reviews to restrict technology vendors with ties to geopolitical rivals. It extends that screening from new procurement decisions to removing software agencies already use, a step that reshapes how security vendors with foreign or private-equity ownership compete for government work.
Federal civilian agencies that currently use Acronis backup and data protection tools must migrate to other products before January 27. The directive does not affect private-sector customers, who can continue using Acronis software.
The takeaway
The key trajectory is that foreign ownership and development ties are now a direct basis for removing security software from government systems, even without proof of compromise. Watch whether the January 27 deadline holds and whether agencies that used Acronis for data protection, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, publicly name replacement vendors.
What happens next
Federal civilian agencies must eliminate Acronis software by January 27.
Further reading
For more on how federal agencies vet security vendors, see Cybersecurity coverage on We are the Frontier.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SC Media.
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