The US government is set to ban the sale of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software in the US, according to reports from Reuters.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the move is reportedly due to alleged links between the cyber security vendor and the Russian government.
Lawmakers are worried the use of the software by US firms might pose a serious risk to national security and critical infrastructure as it could be used to steal corporate data or install malware.
The move will be made possible using powers introduced by the Trump administration and will see the company added to a trade restriction list, Reuters noted.
These powers were initially introduced to limit the use of products created by companies operating in “foreign adversary” nations.
This will, in practice, prevent US suppliers from selling to the company and also prevent inbound sales of Kaspersky software – including updates, any resales, and licensing of the product.
Sales of white-labeled products – or those that use Kaspersky software sold under a different name – will also be barred, sources told Reuters.
The ban is expected to come into force by 29 September to provide US firms with ample time to seek alternatives.
Kaspersky has long denied its ties to the Russian government
The move by US lawmakers marks the latest incident in a long-running spat between Kaspersky and Western governments. Critics have previously argued that the security company represents a security risk due to its alleged ties to the Russian government.
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In 2017, the US Department of Homeland Security banned the firm’s antivirus product from being used on federal networks due to these concerns.
At the time, the department argued that aspects of Russian law could allow intelligence agencies to strongarm the company into providing assistance to intercept information.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the company was declared a “national security risk” to the US and placed on an FCC blacklist.
ITPro has approached Kaspersky for comment.
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