The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to bar the sale of antivirus software made by Russia’s Kaspersky Lab in the United States, citing the firm’s large U.S. customers, including critical infrastructure providers and state and local governments, Reuters reported.
Moscow’s influence over the company was found to pose a significant risk, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a briefing call with reporters on Thursday. The software’s privileged access to a computer’s systems could allow it to steal sensitive information from American computers or install malware and withhold critical updates, enhancing the threat, a source added.
“Russia has shown it has the capacity and … the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize the personal information of Americans and that is why we are compelled to take the action that we are taking today.
Kaspersky Lab and the Russian Embassy did not respond to requests for comment. Previously, Kaspersky has said that it is a privately managed company with no ties to Russian government.
TechCrunch reported the U.S. government announced on Thursday that it is banning the sale of Kaspersky antivirus in the country, and is asking Americans who use the software to switch to a different provider.
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said it imposed the “first of its kind” ban, arguing that Kaspersky threatens U.S. national security users’ privacy because the company is based in Russia.
“Russia has shown it has the capacity, and even more than that, the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize the personal information of Americans. And that’s why we are compelled to take the action that we’re taking today,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a call with reporters.
News of the ban was first reported by Reuters ahead of the announcement. A Kaspersky spokesperson did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
Kaspersky will be banned from selling its software to American consumers and businesses starting July 20, but the company will be able to provide software and security updates to existing customers until September 29. After that, Kaspersky will no longer be permitted to push software updates to U.S. customers, according to Raimondo.
Engadget reported the Russian company has been the topic of cybersecurity questions many times over the years. The Federal Communications Commission put Kaspersky on its list of companies posing unacceptable security risks in 2022.
In 2017, Kaspersky products were banned from use in US federal agencies, and the business also drew scrutiny from the UK’s cybersecurity leadership.
In my opinion, if you are currently using Kaspersky Lab’s product – you should dump it and find something better – and safer – as soon as possible.