US government departments were told to stop using Kaspersky software over concerns it could aid Russian espionage

A Russian cyber-security firm at the centre of spying fears has targeted more than 140,000 British military personnel and police officers with big discounts on computer software.

Members of the UK armed forces, police and other emergency services are being offered 50% off Kaspersky Lab antivirus software in exclusive rewards schemes.

The revelation has alarmed security officials who fear the firm’s products could be used by the Kremlin to spy on the British military and police.

Last September the US Department of Homeland Security ordered government departments in America to stop using Kaspersky software over concerns it could aid Russian espionage.

Three months later Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre, a branch of GCHQ, said civil servants “should never” use Russian anti-virus software when handling information