About a month ago the Joe Biden administration announced a Kaspersky banned in the United StatesWhile the Russian cybersecurity company initially tried to challenge the measure, there is now confirmation that it will finally abandon the US market.
The closure of Kaspersky’s operations in the North American country will take place gradually. As explainsThe company says it has “carefully reviewed and evaluated the impact of U.S. legal requirements” and concluded that “business opportunities in the country are no longer viable.”
50 employees will be laid off
When the ban was announced on June 20, it was unclear what impact it would have on Kaspersky. The ban stated that July 20th as a deadline to sell software products, although it fell short of other revenue streams such as the ability to offer cyber threat intelligence training.
It is now clear that the firm will cease operations in the United States after approximately two decades. Specifically, this affects Kaspersky North Americaa subsidiary founded in 2004 with offices in Massachusetts and dependent on its parent company Kaspersky Labs Limited, based in the United Kingdom, which in turn is connected to its headquarters in Moscow.
The dismissal of its 50 employees, According to The Registerwill be rolled out in stages starting later this week. Kaspersky now says it will remain committed to the world of cybersecurity, but investing in other strategic markets.
Behind this ban is the United States Department of Commerce, which had Kaspersky investigated for a long time and had even held a series of discussions with the firm to address security concerns.
According to the ban resolution, Kaspersky proposed to modify its corporate structure, but without giving up its headquarters in Russia. This did not convince the authorities, who pointed out that Kaspersky’s operations would remain subject to Russian laws that oblige its companies to cooperate with intelligence agencies. According to the United States, this posed “undue or unacceptable” risks.
“Russia has demonstrated that it has the capability and intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and Weaponizing personal information of the Americans”, said the Secretary of CommerceGina Raimondo, after the ban was announced.
Despite the measure, Kaspersky is considered one of the most prominent security companies. The firm has received several awardsincluding AV-Comparatives’ “Product of the Year.” Its researchers, meanwhile, also have a reputation for uncovering cybercriminal operations around the world.
Images | Paul Weaver | Kaspersky
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