Key Takeaways
- Kaspersky’s products are now banned in the United States.
- Not only does this include products, but it also includes services provided to third-parties as well.
- The company was also placed on a trade restriction list.
Kaspersky could be looking at tough times ahead as the Biden Administration announced plans to ban the company’s products in the US. As far as how this ban will affect customers, well, it’s going to be pretty major, with a complete shut-down of sales and support in the United States.
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Reuters reports that the ban will go into full effect starting on September 29, 2024, with “new restrictions on inbound sales of Kaspersky software, which will also bar downloads of software updates, resales and licensing of the product.” While the announcement is already live, the 100-day window will provide customers and companies the time to find viable alternatives for their PCs and laptops.
This ban could have huge impacts
Source:Kaspersky
As far as new sales go, the ban will take place 30 days from the announcement, which means, by next month, you’ll no longer see Kaspersky products on store shelves or on online marketplaces. But this isn’t where it all stops, because the ban also applies to products that are using Kaspersky services on their back-end.
This could pose some major problems for companies that have relied on Kaspersky’s services for years. Furthermore, Kaspersky Lab will also be put on a trade restriction list, which could have far wider repercussions for the company going forward. The brand did not issue a response to the ban to the news outlet, but it looks like things will move forward without much push back.
Things aren’t looking good at all for the company, who have yet to comment on the situation. As far as why this ban is taking place, the US believes that the software could be used in malicious ways. While the company does have a pretty good track record, since it has Russian ties and because of the current climate, precautions are being taken.
Speaking with reporters, Gina Raimondo, who is the US Secretary of Commerce, stated “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.”