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U.S. Federal Ban on Kaspersky Lab Software Signed into Law

Rubber stamping that says 'Banned'.
The United States government has officially banned the use of software products from Moscow-based cyber security company Kaspersky Lab.

The issues with regards to the Trump-run U.S. government and outside cyber security companies continue as the government has permanently banned the Russian software company Kaspersky Lab from being used in any of their authorized institutions.

In other words, the government doesn’t want foreign entities spying on their activities including important documents being transferred as well as malware-related research.

Kaspersky Lab is one of the most popular antivirus programs used by millions of users around the globe.

But the perspective of the U.S. government is quite different as they confirm that Kaspersky Lab, the cyber security agency based out of Moscow, may steal their data and sell it to the Russian government.

U.S. President Donald Trump has officially signed the federal law which permanently removes the software and all of their antivirus products from being used in institutions and agencies that work for the federal government.

The government-run divisions will no longer rely on the antivirus software for their requirements, and the ban is applicable for both civilian and military networks.

The move has been part of the new defense policy that Trump wants to implement during his reign in the country.

Previously in the month of September, Trump created a directive that ordered all civilian agencies to stop using any kind of Kaspersky Lab software programs on their computers.

The action has to be carried out within a period of 90 days, and the newest bill further enforces it ensuring the safety of the federal government.

An Attack Using a Kaspersky Bug

New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who has been a staunch proponent for the ban, said that taking such steps is essential for the country’s cyber security, and the case against Kaspersky Lab has been long pending.

The government has always had notions about this company, which ultimately led to the new law being passed.

In a public statement, Shaheen wrote that she is glad the Trump-run Senate has officially banned the use of the software.

The decision comes after the U.S. government discovered a Russian state-sponsored hacking attack which exploited a bug found in the Kaspersky antivirus program.

It was used to steal classified information from a former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) employee, and from then on, the government opines that Kaspersky Lab may have knowingly left the bug open so as to allow them access into the computers of U.S. federal employees to steal vital information.

Expanding Operations

Meanwhile, Kaspersky has been repeatedly issuing statements confirming that they were in no way involved with Russia’s Kremlin or the government by any means.

The company also released a statement that they would be appealing the recent ban placed on their software.

Being a cyber security and antivirus company, Kaspersky is tasked with providing maximum privacy for their users, ensuring that the data they collect is not being misused in anyway.

When the U.S. government makes such an announcement, it might invariably affect the product’s reputation in other nations as well as customers who might believe that they are working with the Russian government.

logo of the brand "Kapersky Lab", Berlin.
The issues with regards to the Trump-run U.S. government and outside cyber security companies continue as the government has permanently banned the Russian software company Kaspersky Lab from being used in any of their authorized institutions.

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Homeland Security Department in September, the majority of the government organizations have taken strong steps to ensure the antivirus product is removed from all their offices so as to act in accordance with with the order directed by Trump.

However, they indicated that they would like even more laws to be enforced so as to safeguard their cyber security against breaches.

Despite all the negativity surrounding Kaspersky Lab, the company is not giving up easily yet.

The software developer has shut down its office located in Washington D.C., and its products will continue to be sold in the United States to non-federal customers.

They have also planned to expand further by setting up new workplaces in Chicago and Los Angeles so as to expand their operations to more customers.

The development team behind the company also openly stated that they are not going to suffer huge losses if the U.S. government ceases using their cyber security products.

However, Kaspersky Lab is concerned about their name being tarnished in one of the largest markets in the world—when the federal agencies stop using the products, it creates an illusion that the company is supporting Russian hackers openly.

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