" Kaspersky is banned in the US state apparatus "
Takes big steps
Seven years later and the US has chosen to ban the sale of the company's antivirus for consumers as well. New customers will not be able to buy products from the company from July and will not be able to provide service to existing customers after September this year.
The United States claims that Russian authorities have power over the software that can steal sensitive information because the software has administrator rights that can in turn be used to install malware to steal sensitive information and that critical updates are withheld, a Reuters report says.
In the wake of reports that Kaspersky Labs has cut ties with the Russian authorities, the company promised to open up its source code for inspection to prove its innocence. Security experts and several American politicians referred to it as pointless, the LA Times website wrote in October. Security experts believed at the time that such reviews would not show the whole picture.
“The new restrictions on the inbound sale of Kaspersky software, which will also prevent the download of software updates, resale, and licensing of the product, will take effect on September 29, 100 days after publication, to give companies time to find alternatives. New US business for Kaspersky will be blocked 30 days after the restrictions are announced,” reports Reuters.
Kaspersky defends itself by saying that they are an independent private company with no ties to the Russian state - they also state the following:
“Kaspersky is aware of the decision by the US Department of Commerce to ban the use of Kaspersky software in the US. The decision does not affect the company's ability to sell and promote intelligence services and/or cyber threat training in the United States. Despite proposing a system where the security of Kaspersky products could have been independently verified by a trusted third party, Kaspersky believes that decision is based on the current geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns, rather than after a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky products and services.
Kaspersky does not engage in activities that threaten US national security, and in fact, has made significant contributions with its reporting and protection from a variety of threat actors targeting US interests and allies. The company intends to pursue all legally available options to preserve its current operations and relationships.”