The United States intends to ban citizens from using Kaspersky Lab software – Kommersant

The administration of US President Joe Biden plans to issue an order banning American private companies and citizens from using software created by Kaspersky Lab, the TV channel reported. CNN citing five US officials. According to them, the ban is justified on “national security grounds.”

In 2017, the US Department of Homeland Security banned to use Kaspersky Lab products in federal authorities due to suspicions of the company’s connections with Russian intelligence services, but the measure did not apply to individuals and companies. According to CNN, the new ban will be issued by the US Department of Commerce.

CNN sources noted that the order is being finalized, but a decision could be announced this month. Certain Kaspersky Lab products and services may no longer be available in the United States. The channel’s interlocutors admitted that the ban could be extended to anti-virus software. Thus, the White House intends to reduce risks to critical US infrastructure, writes CNN.

As CNN notes, US authorities believe that Russian authorities could use data held by Kaspersky Lab to hack or spy on American companies and citizens. The company said in 2017 that it was disappointed by the US ban because authorities had not provided evidence of links to Russian intelligence services and the charges were based on false allegations.

Kaspersky Lab’s share of the US end-user device protection market in 2016 was 4.3%, and in 2017 it decreased to 3.8%. Today, the company’s products are used by more than 400 million people and 240 thousand companies around the world.

Lusine Balasyan