Washington announced Thursday that it would ban the Russian anti-virus program Kaspersky in the United States, and prevent Americans elsewhere in the world from using it, criticizing this cybersecurity giant for its closeness to Moscow.
“Kaspersky will no longer be able, among other activities, to sell its software in the United States or provide updates to software in use,” the US Department of Commerce said in a statement. “The ban also applies to Kaspersky Lab’s subsidiaries, affiliates and parent companies,” the statement read.
Kaspersky will be allowed to carry out certain activities until September 29, to give customers time to find an alternative.
In addition, three entities linked to Kaspersky were added to the blacklist in Washington, “for their cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities to support the Russian government’s cyber espionage goals.”
The Commerce Department said that companies and individuals who continue to use Kaspersky anti-virus software will not be subject to US sanctions, but will be warned of cybersecurity risks.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in the statement, “Russia has repeatedly demonstrated that it has the ability and intent to exploit Russian companies, such as Kaspersky Lab, to collect and exploit sensitive American information.”
For his part, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas considered this measure “vital to our internal security and will better protect the personal information and privacy of many Americans.”
This is not the first time that Washington has taken action against Kaspersky. The program was banned in federal agencies in 2017. In March 2022, the US Federal Communications Commission added security products, solutions and services provided by Kaspersky, directly or indirectly, to the “List of Communications Equipment and Services that Pose a Threat to Homeland Security.”
The Commerce Department said Kaspersky has offices in 31 countries and customers in more than 200 countries and regions.
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2024-06-25 09:18:14