The US government has made a bold move to ban the sale of antivirus software developed by Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky. This decision stems from concerns about the company’s alleged ties to the Kremlin, which were deemed to pose a significant risk to US infrastructure and services.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo highlighted Russia’s capacity and intent to collect and weaponize personal information of Americans as a key factor in the decision to ban Kaspersky’s software. The ban will prevent the company from selling its software in the US and providing updates to existing users.
Kaspersky, on its part, has vowed to explore all legal avenues to challenge the ban and has refuted any claims that its activities endanger US security. The ban falls under the broad powers established by the Trump administration to restrict transactions between US companies and tech firms from countries considered foreign adversaries, like Russia and China.
Effective from September 29, the ban will prohibit downloads of software updates, as well as the resale and licensing of Kaspersky products. Violators, including sellers and resellers, will face fines from the Commerce Department.
Furthermore, the Commerce Department will list two Russian and one UK-based unit of Kaspersky for collaboration with Russian military intelligence. This move follows prior actions by US regulators, such as the ban on Kaspersky’s flagship antivirus product from federal networks in 2017.
Although Kaspersky is headquartered in Moscow, it operates in 31 countries worldwide, serving more than 400 million users and 270,000 corporate clients across over 200 countries. The impact of the ban on US customers is classified business data, but officials suggest it will affect a significant number of state and local governments, as well as companies in the telecommunications, power, and healthcare sectors.
