President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday prohibited Russia-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky from selling its popular antivirus software in the United States due to national security concerns, according to the US Commerce Department.
“Kaspersky will generally no longer be able to, among other activities, sell its software within the United States or provide updates to software already in use,” according to a statement from the FBI.
The declaration came after a long investigation discovered that Kaspersky’s “continued operations in the United States presented a national security risk due to the Russian Government’s offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kaspersky’s operations,” it claimed.
The US Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, stated: “Russia has shown time and again they have the capability and intent to exploit Russian companies, like Kaspersky Lab, to collect and weaponise sensitive US information.”
In a statement to AFP, Kaspersky said that the Commerce Department “made its decision based on the present geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns,” and that it would “pursue all legally available options to preserve its current operations and relationships.”
“Kaspersky does not engage in activities which threaten US national security and, in fact, has made significant contributions with its reporting and protection from a variety of threat actors that targeted US interests and allies,” the business said.
The action is the first since an executive order issued under Donald Trump’s presidency empowered the Commerce Department to examine whether specific corporations constitute a national security risk.
Raimondo said the Commerce Department’s actions showed America’s rivals that it would not hesitate to intervene when “their technology poses a risk to the United States and its citizens.”
While Kaspersky is based in Moscow, it has offices in 31 locations worldwide, serving more than 400 million users and 270,000 corporate customers in over 200 countries, according to the Commerce Department.
In addition to prohibiting the sale of Kaspersky’s antivirus software, the Commerce Department added three entities linked to the firm to a list of companies considered a national security concern, “for their cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities in support of the Russian government’s cyber intelligence objectives.”
The Commerce Department said that it “strongly encouraged” consumers to transfer to other suppliers, but it does not prohibit them from using the program if they chose to do so.
Kaspersky is permitted to continue some activities in the United States, including distributing antivirus updates, until September 29 of this year, “in order to minimise disruption to US consumers and businesses and to give them time to find suitable alternatives,” it said.
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