The US government has taken the unprecedented step of banning the sale of Kaspersky antivirus software in the country, citing concerns over national security and privacy risks due to the company’s Russian origins. This ban will come into effect next month, with three units of Kaspersky being added to a trade restriction list, preventing US suppliers from selling to the company. The ban also extends to white-labeled products that integrate Kaspersky into software sold under a different brand name.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo emphasized that Russia has demonstrated the capability and intent to exploit companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize personal information of Americans, prompting the action taken by the US government. The ban on Kaspersky software sales will start on July 20, affecting individual customers and businesses. Existing customers will still be eligible for software updates and support until September 29, but Raimondo strongly urges them to find alternative antivirus solutions to avoid degradation of services.
This latest ban on Kaspersky comes after the Trump administration previously prohibited the company’s flagship antivirus product from federal networks in 2017. Allegations of ties to Russian intelligence and concerns about Russian law allowing intelligence agencies to compel assistance from Kaspersky raised red flags about the security implications of using the software. Reports of Russian state hackers accessing classified US documents allegedly due to Kaspersky software on a contractor’s personal computer underscore the serious risks associated with using the antivirus product.
