The US Telecommunications Administration added Russian Kaspersky to the risk list.
Kaspersky with a Russian background has been warned before. Adobe Stock / AOP
Authorities have been concerned about links between Russian companies and the state leadership. One segment that has been of particular concern is the information security sector, which involves a lot of Russian players.
Now the US telecommunications agency FCC has added the Russian security company Kaspersky to its risk list. The company is said to pose unreasonable risks to U.S. national security, Bleeping Computer news.
The risk assessment includes all Kaspersky services and products as well as companies related to Kaspersky, including subsidiaries.
The decision was made in 2019 Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act under the Act, which is intended to protect the United States from threats to networks. U.S. agencies were ordered to shut down Kaspersky services for the first time in 2017.
In addition to Kaspersky, China’s state-owned mobile service providers China Mobile International USA and China Telecom Americas were added to the FCC’s national security ban list. China’s Huawei and ZTE are also on the FCC list.
FCC Agent Brendan Carr said in a press release he was pleased with the decision. He said adding Kaspersky and the aforementioned companies to the block list would help “protect networks from threats posed by Chinese and Russian-backed entities seeking to spy on and harm the United States”.
The German information security agency BSI has previously warned companies not to use Kaspersky products. BSI warned that the Russian authorities could force the security company to allow Russian intelligence to access its systems and machine cyber attacks against its customers.
Kaspersky was outraged by the decision
Kaspersky has commented on its decision to block the FCC in its bulletin. The company says it is disappointed with the FCC’s decision.
– This decision is not based on any technical assessment of Kaspersky’s products, but is made for political reasons, the press release says.
According to Kaspersky, the decisions of 2017 are already unfounded and unconstitutional. In addition, according to Kaspersky, there is no evidence of the company’s misconduct.
– Kaspersky has clearly stated that it has no links with any government, including the Russian government, the press release states.
FACTS
- Kaspersky is a Russian security company founded in 1997 with operations in more than 200 countries.
- The company describes itself as one of the world’s largest privately owned security companies.
- Kaspersky’s services have 400 million individual users and more than 240,000 companies.
- According to Kaspersky, the company employs more than 4,000 professionals.
Source: Kaspersky