The company has always fiercely denied these accusations. Washington announced on Thursday June 21 the ban on Russian antivirus software Kaspersky in the United States, accusing this cybersecurity giant of being close to Moscow. “Kaspersky will no longer be able to, among other activities, sell its software in the United States or provide updates to software already in use,” the US Department of Commerce said in a statement.
“The ban also applies to affiliates, subsidiaries and parent companies of Kaspersky Lab,” it is specified. Kaspersky will nevertheless be allowed to carry out certain activities until September 29, to give customers time to find an alternative.
The company defends itself from such suspicions
The company quickly condemned in a press release a decision “taken on the basis of the current geopolitical climate and theoretical fears” which “benefits cybercrime”. She has defended herself against such suspicions for years.
Karspersky “has demonstrated on numerous occasions its independence from any government” and the United States has “ignored this evidence”, asserts the group, which specifies that its information services on the world of cybersecurity are not affected by this measure. The company, one of the world’s leading names in IT security, also plans to challenge the decision in court.
The multinational Kaspersky has offices in 31 countries, and customers in more than 200 countries and territories, details the Commerce Department. The group provides antivirus and other cybersecurity-related products and services to more than 400 million users and 270,000 businesses worldwide, it is further indicated.
Old concerns
Three entities linked to Kaspersky were also added to a Washington blacklist, “for their cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities in support of the Russian government’s cyberespionage objectives.” Companies and individuals who continue to use Kaspersky antivirus are nevertheless not exposed to American sanctions, but are warned of the risks linked to cybersecurity, specifies the Department of Commerce.
“Russia has repeatedly demonstrated that it has the capacity and intent to exploit Russian companies, such as Kaspersky Lab, to collect and exploit sensitive US information,” commented US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo , quoted in the press release.
This action “is vital to our homeland security and will better protect the personal information and privacy of many Americans,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. This is not the first time that Washington has taken measures targeting Kaspersky. The software was banned from use within federal agencies in 2017. In March 2022, the United States Federal Communications Commission added security products, solutions and services provided, directly or indirectly, by Kaspersky, to the “list of communications equipment and services that constitute a threat to internal security”.
Several European countries have also expressed their concern about this cybersecurity giant. Germany recommended, a few weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to avoid using its services. Italy immediately opened an investigation. At the end of 2023, the Canadian government decided to ban its civil servants from using Kaspersky tools on their professional phones.
Suspected for years by Western countries of collaborating – willingly or by force – with the Russian authorities, the company announced at the end of 2020 that it had completed the transfer of the data of its Western clients to its data center in Switzerland.