The United States has decided to ban the cybersecurity company Kaspersky, which is based in Russia. The company offers popular antivirus products in the country, but the Commerce Department announced that it will no longer be allowed to sell its software in the US or provide updates to existing customers.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that Russia has repeatedly shown its ability and intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky Lab to collect and weaponize sensitive information. The actions taken by the Commerce Department demonstrate that they will not hesitate to act when technology poses a risk to the United States and its citizens.
Although Kaspersky is headquartered in Moscow, it operates in 31 countries and serves millions of users and corporate customers worldwide. In addition to banning the sale of Kaspersky’s antivirus software, the Commerce Department added three entities linked to the company to a list of national security concerns due to their cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities.
The Commerce Department is encouraging users to find alternative providers, but the ban does not prevent them from continuing to use Kaspersky software if they choose to do so. Kaspersky is allowed to continue certain operations in the US until September 29th, including antivirus updates, in order