The US Federal Communications Commission has added Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab to its list of entities that pose an “unacceptable risk to US national security,” according to a report by Bloomberg. This is the first time a Russian company has been added to the list, which is otherwise compiled by Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE.
Businesses in the United States are prohibited from using federal subsidies provided through the FCC Universal Service Fund to purchase products or services from listed companies. In addition to Kaspersky, the FCC also added China Telecom and China Mobile International USA to its list on Friday.
“I am pleased that our national security agencies have agreed with my assessment that China Mobile and China Telecom appear to meet the threshold needed to add these entities to our list,” FCC President Jessica Rosenworsel said in a press release (PDF). . “Their addition, as well as Kaspersky Labs, will help protect our networks from threats from Chinese and Russian government entities that seek to engage in espionage and otherwise harm American interests.
Kaspersky responded to the FCC’s move in a press release on its website, saying the agency’s decision was “taken for political reasons” in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that the company remains ready to cooperate with US government agencies to address the FCC and the concerns of any other regulatory agency. “
In 2017, Russian intelligence allegedly used Kaspersky’s anti-virus software to steal classified documents from the National Security Agency, an allegation rejected by the Moscow-based company. Later that year, former President Donald Trump signed a bill banning the use of Kaspersky products by federal agencies after accusing the company of links to the Kremlin.