Kaspersky Lab could be targeted by specific sanctions “as part of a wider round of action carried out against the Russian government,” CyberScoop reported earlier this week, refering to “US intelligence officials familiar with the matter.”
The Russian cybersecurity company has two ongoing lawsuits against the US government, which were filed in response to the recent ban of the firm’s products from federal government networks. Officials told CyberScoop that any additional action against Kaspersky would occur at the lawsuits’ conclusion.
Should the sanctions be confirmed, ‘Kaspersky Lab would be barred from operating in the USA and potentially even in US allied countries,” writes CyberScoop.
“The evidence of close ties and cooperation between Kaspersky Lab and the Kremlin is overwhelming, which is why I led efforts in Congress to rid Kaspersky products from federal systems. Sanctioning Kaspersky Lab is a logical next step,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who authored legislation to ban Kaspersky, told CyberScoop.
Following FBI recommendations, American companies have already been steered from completing business deals with Kaspersky Lab, notes CyberScoop, citing the examples of Best Buy, utility companies and power companies.
Last week, Twitter banned Kaspersky ads on its platform, following government statements against the company, the online publication reported.
Kaspersky Lab denies any wrongdoing as well as any hidden link with the Russian government or secret services. The company stated recently that it will submit the source code of its software and future product updates for review by a broad cross-section of computer security experts and government officials. It also vowed to have outside parties review other aspects of its business, guaranteeing transparency.
In an exchange this week with CyberScoop, the Russian company stated: “The continued actions by the U.S. government against Kaspersky Lab lack sufficient basis, have been taken without any evidence of wrongdoing by the company, and rely upon subjective, non-technical public sources, such as uncorroborated and often anonymously sourced media reports and rumors, which is why the company has challenged the validity of these actions in federal court. Kaspersky Lab welcomes calls to declassify any credible information that can shed light on the government’s concerns regarding its operations or its products as a public good, so that the company can responsively address said concerns and the general public can better understand this matter without the ongoing obfuscation,”
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