NEW YORK (AP) — Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab mentioned it was ceasing all operations within the United States, simply weeks after the Commerce Department banned its software program from getting used within the nation.
An announcement from Kaspersky Lab in Moscow mentioned the corporate would “steadily wind down” its U.S. operations beginning July 20. It mentioned U.S.-based positions would even be eradicated, however didn’t instantly say what number of staff could be laid off.
“Kaspersky has operated within the United States for practically 20 years, contributing to the nation’s strategic cybersecurity targets by defending organizations and people within the nation from ever-evolving cyber threats,” Kaspersky mentioned in a press release. “After cautious consideration and analysis of the affect of U.S. authorized necessities, we now have made this unhappy and troublesome choice as enterprise alternatives within the U.S. are not viable.”
Last month, the Commerce Department introduced it might ban the sale of Kaspersky Lab software program within the United States, with the federal government alleging the corporate’s ties to Russia pose “extreme or unacceptable dangers to the nationwide safety or security and safety of the United States.”
In its June 14 choice, the Defense Department mentioned Kaspersky Lab is required to adjust to Russian regulation and that its software program might be misused to establish delicate knowledge on U.S. residents and supply it to Russian authorities officers.
Kaspersky Lab strongly denies that it’s a safety menace. In its response to the Commerce Department’s June 21 choice, the corporate mentioned it doesn’t knowingly acquire labeled knowledge of Americans and that its Russian operations and staff solely have entry to aggregated or statistical knowledge that’s not attributed to particular people.
The firm additionally argued that the federal government made the choice primarily based on “geopolitical developments and theoretical issues” reasonably than independently inspecting the dangers. Kaspersky mentioned the U.S. choice favors cybercriminals whereas limiting client selection.
The ministry mentioned it had thought-about Kaspersky’s objections to its preliminary findings however discovered the choice to ban the corporate’s software program to be “properly supported.”
Kaspersky, which boasts one of many world’s hottest client antivirus merchandise and a extensively revered analysis division that recurrently takes down elite hacking teams, mentioned in a press release this week that its “enterprise stays robust” and that its precedence stays “defending clients in each nation from cyber threats.”
News that the corporate was closing its U.S. operations was first reported on Monday by journalist Kim Zetter.
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