The United States government will prohibit the sale of Kaspersky antivirus products to new consumers within the country as of July 20.
The cybersecurity company's alleged connections to Russian intelligence have been the subject of concerns, resulting in the announcement of this decision and a restriction on software updates beginning September 29, with the objective being, to sever these ties.
Kaspersky, a cybersecurity company that is widely recognized, has consistently denied allegations that it has collaborated with Russian intelligence services.
Despite assurances, concerns have persisted, prompting the US Department of Commerce to take action against entities such as “AO Kaspersky Lab,” “OOO Kaspersky Group,” and “Kaspersky Labs Limited.” The department has accused these entities of aiding the Russian government's cyber intelligence initiatives.
These actions are in accordance with previous reports, such as those from The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that Kaspersky software has been used to facilitate Russian espionage activities.
The US government's prior decision to ban Kaspersky products from its own devices in 2017 was influenced by these allegations.
Although the sales prohibition will not have an immediate effect on Kaspersky's existing US customers, the imminent suspension of software updates by September 29 raises concerns regarding the long-term security of their computer systems.
Their device will become more vulnerable to new threats in the absence of new threat database updates. This, in turn, will eventually lead users of Kaspersky to find another security software in the long run.
Kaspersky has spoken out against the US government's decision to ban its products, contending that the decision is founded on international disputes rather than specific evidence of security risks posed by its products.
A Kaspersky spokesperson has given a statement regarding the said allegations.
“Kaspersky does not engage in activities which threaten U.S. national security and, in fact, has made significant contributions with its reporting and protection from a variety of threat actors that targeted U.S. interests and allies
Kaspersky Spokesperson
The US Commerce Department cited the company's founder, Eugene Kaspersky, operating under Russian jurisdiction as a major factor in determining the company's security risks.
In the end, the United States government maintains its stance to ban Kaspersky since it poses an intolerable threat to national security, therefore this decision was made to protect American infrastructure from potential foreign influence through software vulnerabilities.