Kaspersky Cybersecurity Products Are Banned in the US

The Biden administration has announced that Kaspersky cybersecurity products are banned for use in the US, starting September 29. As part of the ban, existing customers will no longer be able to upgrade their software after that date.

As reported by Martin Matishak in The Record, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo explained that “when Americans have software from companies owned or controlled by countries of concern, such as Russia, such as China, integrated into their systems, it makes all Americans vulnerable.” 

In a statement, Kaspersky said it believes that the Commerce Department “made its decision based on the present geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns, rather than on a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services.”

According to the statement, Kaspersky doesn’t threaten US national security and has made significant contributions with its reporting and protection from various threat actors that targeted U.S. interests and allies.

Kaspersky, founded in the 1990s by current CEO Eugene Kaspersky, claims its software products are used by 240,000 companies worldwide, and that it has no ties to the Russian government.

The Record article quotes an unnamed senior Commerce Department official who, without citing specifics, says authorities “generally know” that the Russian government uses whatever resources are available “to perpetrate various malicious cyber activity activities.”

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not cite specifics but said that we “fully believe” that the Russian government is either using Kaspersky now or would be willing to. The same official noted that the ban would be enforced with both civil and criminal penalties.