Kaspersky Lab, is a leading multinational cybersecurity company known for its antivirus, internet security, password management, and endpoint security products and services.
The decision comes amid the anti-Russian hysteria peddled by Washington, amid unfounded accusations that Russia had somehow meddled in last year’s US presidential election.
In June, the US Senate prepared a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, outlining the ban on the usage of Kaspersky Lab software products at the US Department of Defense facilities, claiming the Russian security giant “might be vulnerable to Russian government influence”.
The same reason was also given by the US Department of Homeland Security.
All agencies will be required to identify any Kaspersky products they have used within 30 days as they discontinue their use, according to a directive from Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
“This action is based on the information security risks presented by the use of Kaspersky products,” DHS said Wednesday in a statement. “The risk that the Russian government, whether acting on its own or in collaboration with Kaspersky, could capitalize on access provided by Kaspersky products to compromise federal information and information systems directly implicates US national security.”
Kaspersky has denied “inappropriate ties with any government” and criticized the US decision as “based on false allegations and inaccurate assumptions, including claims about the impact of Russian regulations and policies”.
The UN has meanwhile calculated the effect of sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia. According to the report, the sanctions cost the EU $3.2 billion per month or $38.5 billion per year. For Russia, direct losses amount to only $15 billion a year.
The report reveals that the sanctions imposed have not had the desired effect, and moreover, they have proven to be counterproductive.
“The Russian example shows the expected adaptability (to sanctions) for a prosperous country with diverse resources, a highly qualified population and numerous trading partners.”