The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put Kaspersky Lab in blacklist of companies that place “an unacceptable risk to US national security“. The cybersecurity company is the first Russian to end up on this list, which Chinese companies belong to Huawei e ZTE. But what does this mean for the company and its overseas customers?
Kaspersky ends up on US security blacklist
The report comes from Bloomberg, explaining how Kaspersky gets on the list of banned entities along with China Telecom e China Mobile International USA. American companies cannot partner with entities on this list. Under penalty of exclusion from subsidies Universal Service Fund della FCC. Kaspersky’s American customers must therefore terminate all business relationships: they cannot purchase products or services from the Russian company.
Jessica Rosenworcel, head of the FCC comments in a press release: “I am delighted that our national security agencies agree with my analysis that China Mobile and China Telecom exceed the threshold necessary to enter this list. Their inclusion, as well as that of Kaspersky Labs, will help secure our networks ago threats posed by Chinese and Russian state entities to spy and otherwise harm American interests ”.
The Russian company’s reaction: a political decision
For its part, Kaspersky announced that it was “disappointed with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to prohibit certain federal telecommunications-related subsidiaries from purchasing Kaspersky products and services ”.
The Russian company continues saying: “This decision is not based on a technical analysis of Kaspersky products, for which the company continues to apply, but instead on a political basis“.
Already in 2017, the National Security Agency had accused the Kaspersky antivirus of acting as an intermediary for the theft of secret documents of the NSA, despite the company denied any involvement. Later in the same they have the Trump administration signed a rule for prevent the use of Russian security solutions by federal agencies.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, several security entities have objected to the use of the anti-virus developed in Moscow for safety of critical structures. However, Kaspersky has always denied any involvement with the Kremlin, assuring that its products do not put anyone at risk. Something that the United States evidently does not share.
It is still early days to assess the possible impact of FCC blacklisting for Kaspersky, although the image damage is likely to be irrecoverable. We will keep you informed in case of further news on this news.