On Friday, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky firmly denied being a security threat following the U.S. Commerce Department’s ban on its software in the United States. The Moscow-based company, led by CEO Eugene Kaspersky, argued that the Commerce Department’s decision would not impact its ability to sell and promote its cybersecurity products and training in the U.S.
Kaspersky contended that the ban was based on “geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns” rather than concrete evidence of risk. The U.S. government, however, cited Kaspersky’s connections to Russia, stating that these ties pose an “undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety and security” of its citizens.
The Commerce Department highlighted that Kaspersky’s operations in Russia and Eugene Kaspersky’s status as a Russian citizen subject the company to Russian law. In a decision dated June 14 and published in the Federal Register, the department noted that it had reviewed and dismissed Kaspersky’s objections to its initial investigation findings, affirming that the ban was “well supported.”
The department expressed concerns that Kaspersky’s software could potentially be exploited to access sensitive data on U.S. citizens and provide it to Russian government actors. It emphasized that the risk was not related to the effectiveness of Kaspersky’s products in identifying malware but rather to the possibility of their strategic misuse to harm the United States.
Kaspersky, which boasts one of the world’s most popular consumer antivirus products and a respected research unit known for exposing elite hacking groups, argued that it cannot deliberately access sensitive data on Americans. The company stated that its operations and employees in Russia can only access aggregate or statistical data not attributable to specific individuals. Kaspersky claimed that the primary effect of the U.S. government’s decision would be to benefit cybercriminals and limit the freedom of consumers and organizations to choose their cybersecurity solutions.
In response to the ban, Kaspersky asserted its commitment to defending its reputation and commercial interests against actions it views as unfair. “We look forward to what the future holds, and will continue to defend ourselves against actions that seek to unfairly harm our reputation and commercial interests,” the company stated.
