Sanctions against Russia: Kaspersky on a blacklist in the United States

This is a hell of a wake-up call for Kaspersky. The famous computer security software publisher found itself on the blacklist of the FCC, the American federal agency in charge of telecommunications. The list, which so far only included Chinese companies, identifies companies that pose a national security risk.

Suspicions of collision with Russian power

In concrete terms, being on this list prohibits US administrations from using Kaspersky software and services. It is also a strong signal sent to American companies and individuals: it is better to avoid products sold by the Russian group… The FCC did not explain precisely why Kaspersky is now in this file, confining itself to recalling that the decision aims strengthen US communications networks in the face of national security threats.

Russian companies are required to provide data to the FSB, the country’s security services. There are also rumors of gateways between Kaspersky and the Kremlin for spying operations and the exfiltration of sensitive data. The publisher’s antivirus being used by 400 million people and 250,000 companies worldwide, there are real concerns about the exploitation of data collected from Kaspersky customers.

In France, it is the CERT-FR (Government Center for monitoring, alert and response to computer attacks, attached to the National Agency for the Security of Information Systems, ANSSI) which rang the bell alarm warning against the use of such software. In Germany, Italy and elsewhere, authorities are also concerned about what may be happening behind the scenes between Kaspersky and Russian power.

On the publisher’s side, we are trying to defend ourselves following the inclusion on the FCC blacklist. Kaspersky believes that this decision is based not on an evaluation of the safety of its products, but on the “ current geopolitical climate “.