“Kaspersky is disappointed with the decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prohibit certain telecommunications-related federal subsidies from being used to purchase Kaspersky products and services” – Kaspersky. Kaspersky – which is headquartered in Moscow – has strenuously denied claims that they cooperate with the Kremlin on issues of cyber-warfare and espionage. Other companies that make the list include Chinese firms Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua Technology, all of whom were added on MaKaspersky Denies All Wrong Doing “ as well as Kaspersky Labs, will help secure our networks from threats posed by Chinese and Russian state-backed entities” – Brendan Carr, Office of Commissioner (FCC). Kaspersky is the first Russian company to be included by the commission. The list itself is only eight companies long, with China Telecom and China Mobile International also joining Kaspersky on March 25. The FCC has added Kaspersky to the US government’s list of equipment and services that pose a security threat, covered by Section 2 of the Secure Networks Act. The news follows the German government’s recent indictment of the security service, with the country’s Federal Office for Information Security fearful that Kaspersky could be weaponized by the Kremlin. US government agencies are already forbidden from using Kaspersky products, but this move will usher in its removal from the private sector too. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has declared cybersecurity and antivirus provider Kaspersky a threat the national security, with the firm suspected of having close ties to the Russian government.

Kaspersky ties to russian government