Kaspersky – in conforming with the final determination by the U.S. Department of Commerce – has agreed to halt all sales contracts for its anti-virus software and cybersecurity products in the U.S., ahead of July 20, 2024.
Beginning September 30, Kaspersky will furthermore be prohibited from providing anti-virus signature updates and codebase updates to U.S. consumers and businesses. Until that time, it can continue fulfilling its obligations under existing contracts.
The July 20 date represents Kaspersky’s gradual winding down of its U.S. operations, and elimination of all U.S.-based positions after nearly 20 years of operation in the U.S..
“Kaspersky has been fully committed to transparency and providing high-quality protection against any type of threat,” the company noted in a statement. “To respond to the U.S. authorities’ concerns, the company has proposed a comprehensive assessment framework providing for the verification of its solutions, database updates, threat detection rules by an independent trusted reviewer. Therefore, Kaspersky maintains that the U.S. Department of Commerce decision was based on the geopolitical climate rather than on the evaluation of the integrity of the company’s solutions and deprives U.S. users and companies of best in class protection.”
According to the AP, Kaspersky’s “obligation” to follow Russian law poses a risk of its software being exploited to reveal the personal information of U.S. customers. This comes from a June 14 Department of Commerce decision.
“The Department of Commerce’s action against Kaspersky Labs was taken to address a substantial threat to U.S. national security,” a reportedly anonymous DoC spokesperson told AP, noting that the action “was not taken lightly.”
Kaspersky’s informational or educational products and services such as Kaspersky Threat Intelligence and Kaspersky Cybersecurity Training, as well as Kaspersky consulting or advisory services (including SOC Consulting, Security Consulting, Ask the Analyst, and Incident Response) will continue to be available in the U.S. market.
Kaspersky will also maintain its ongoing support for customers and partners, providing leading cybersecurity solutions, and will remain dedicated to delivering cybersecurity technology, as well as delivering on its mission of building a safer world.