The United States announced on Thursday that it would ban the sale of antivirus software made by Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab. release The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security found that Kaspersky Lab’s close ties to the Russian government pose significant risks: The software could provide privileged access to American computer systems that could allow Russian attackers to steal sensitive information, install malware or withhold critical updates. This was reported by Reuters. before the official announcement.
Russian cybersecurity companies have struggled to restore their international reputation since then. The US has banned Kaspersky from federal government computers In 2017, hackers used Kaspersky software to Stealing classified NSA documentsand Russian agents have allegedly used the software as a personal backdoor. Nearly seven years later, Biden is using broad authorities created by the Trump administration to try to ban the software nationwide. In addition to the ban, the Biden administration is adding Kaspersky to a trade restriction list that could further damage the company’s international reputation and sales.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced the ban during a conference call with reporters on Thursday. She said the ban was the “first of its kind” and came after a thorough investigation into the company’s ties to Russia.
“Russia has repeatedly demonstrated its ability and intent to use Russian companies like Kaspersky Lab to collect and weaponize sensitive U.S. information. We will continue to do everything we can to protect our national security and the American people,” Raimondo said in a press release.
New sales of Kaspersky Lab in the US will be suspended in 30 days. After 100 days (on September 29th), companies will be banned from downloading software updates, reselling or licensing their products. Products that integrate Kaspersky Lab into their own software but are sold under a different brand will also be banned.
Kaspersky has denied having any ties to the Russian government for the past seven years. CEO Eugene Kaspersky Offered to hand over the company’s source code To the U.S. government. This effort has hardly won the confidence of government officials.
Kaspersky Lab reportedly has more than 220,000 corporate clients in 200 countries, and its website lists Volkswagen as its largest client. The antivirus software company is based in Massachusetts.
In 2019, the story of Kaspersky Russian court finds senior researcher guilty The company is accused of treason for serving the interests of the United States. Ruslan Stoyanov, former head of Kaspersky Lab’s computer incidents investigation team, is serving a 14-year prison sentence.
The power Biden is using to ban Kaspersky is a relatively new power for the executive branch. Former President Donald Trump tried to use the same power to ban Americans from using the Chinese social media platforms TikTok and WeChat, but was blocked by a federal court. In that case and this one, the executive branch was theoretically allowed to ban or restrict technology from a “foreign adversary.”
