The US government officially issued a statement banning all products of the Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab on the territory of the country.
The famous Kaspersky security software is banned throughout the United States. Photo: Alamy.
President Joe Biden’s administration on June 21 officially banned Russia-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky from supplying its security products in the U.S. due to national security concerns.
Kaspersky will not be able to sell its software in the U.S. or provide updates to software that has already been used, among other activities,” the statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce said.
According to Reuters, the ban will take full effect on September 29. Businesses will have 100 days to find Kaspersky software alternatives on computers and systems.
The source also said that the sale of products that integrate Kaspersky into the software under another brand will also be banned. The U.S. Department of Commerce will notify companies before taking enforcement action.
Gina Raimondo, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, said the move demonstrated to U.S. adversaries that the agency would not hesitate to act if “its technology poses a risk to the U.S. and its citizens.”
“Russia has repeatedly shown its ability and intention to exploit Russian companies, such as Kaspersky Lab, to collect and weaponize sensitive U.S. information,” the head of the U.S. Commerce Department said.
Kaspersky has long been on the radar of regulators in the United States. In September 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security directed federal agencies to remove Kaspersky software from computer systems.
The U.S. Congress later enacted the ban in a public spending act. Kaspersky has pursued two lawsuits, but U.S. courts have ruled that Congress has the power to act in the interests of national security.
Not only in the US, in 2022, the German cybersecurity agency (BSI) warned that users who are using products and services of Kaspersky, a cybersecurity company based in Russia, are at risk of becoming victims of cyber attacks.