• The United States government has issued a ban of Kaspersky software.
• The ban stems from alleged potential to be manipulated by the Russian government, making it an apparent security risk.
• The US government has told Kaspersky customers to switch to alternative service provider in order to remain protected.

It is official, the United States has issued a ban on any Kaspersky software within its borders.

The announcement came this week as the cybersecurity software specialists have been flagged as a risk by the US government for possibility that it could be coerced or manipulated by the Russian government.

While Kaspersky is indeed a Russian company, its alleged ties to the Putin-led government have not been substantiated, with this latest scenario bearing a striking resemblance to sanctions that were imposed against Huawei in recent years, as well as the newly acquired target of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance.

“Russia has shown it has the capacity and … the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize the personal information of Americans and that is why we are compelled to take the action that we are taking today,” US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told media in a briefing, per Reuters.

Speaking on the matter, Kaspersky noted that it believed the actions taken were the result of, “the present geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns, rather than on a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services.”

What this means for the company is that no software will be allowed to be sold to customers in the region from the end of next month onwards, as this would represent 30 days after the decision will be finalised.

For current customers, Kaspersky will be banned from offering services of any kind from 29th September onwards, with the US government already urging citizens to switch to a different service provider.

“I would encourage you, in as strong as possible terms, to immediately stop using that software and switch to an alternative in order to protect yourself and your data and your family,” concluded Raimondo.

How long the ban will last, as well as whether it would be removed should the Russian invasion of Ukraine be halted, remains to be seen. Either way, those using Kaspersky software in the US will need to look for a new cybersecurity service provider soon.