Kasperksy exec denies US allegation vs. software product

Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky maintained that its antivirus software is not a security threat after the US Commerce Department banned the product.

Photo from Kaspersky website

A threat to the US?

In an issued statement, Kaspersky said this development would not affect its capacity to sell and promote its products and training in America.

The firm even stressed that the US government only relied on “geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns.”

The US earlier alleged that Kaspersky’s link to Russia could pose an “undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety and security.”

It added that Kaspersky does its operations mostly in Russia. It also pointed out the fact that the company’s CEO Eugene Kaspersky is Russian, making him subject to Russian law.

The US stressed that its decision to ban Kaspersky was “well supported.”

The risks to U.S. national security addressed in this Final Determination stem not from whether Kaspersky’s products are effective at identifying viruses and other malware, but whether they can be used strategically to cause harm to the United States, it said.

Source: Associated Press via Inquirer