The Biden administration on Friday placed sanctions on twelve people occupying high leadership positions at the AO Kaspersky Lab, citing cybersecurity dangers.
The day after announcing plans to prohibit the sale of the antivirus software produced by the Russian corporation, AO Kaspersky Lab, the Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on twelve individuals holding top leadership positions at the company, citing cybersecurity risks. The company’s top executives, such as the chief operating officer, chief business development officer, chief legal officer, and head of corporate communications, were among those targeted by the sanctions. Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson said in a statement, “Today’s action against the leadership of Kaspersky Lab underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber threats.”
A representative for Kaspersky called the action “unjustified and baseless,” adding that it would not have an impact on the company’s “resilience” because neither Eugene Kaspersky, the CEO, nor its parent or subsidiary companies are the targets of the action. The business disclaimed any affiliations with governments or connections between the named officials and the Russian military or intelligence services. The actions demonstrate the Biden administration’s efforts to eliminate any possibility of Russian cyberattacks originating from Kaspersky software and to continue applying pressure to Moscow as its war campaign in Ukraine has gained traction and the US has run out of sanctions it can apply to Russia.
On Thursday, Kaspersky and two other Russian Kaspersky Lab units were added to a Commerce trade-restriction list for allegedly working with Russian military intelligence to further Moscow’s cyber-intelligence objectives. Alongside that action, an unprecedented restriction on the sale, resale, and software updates of Kaspersky products in the United States beginning on September 29 was also implemented on Thursday. According to U.S. authorities, the program is dangerous because of Russia’s influence over the corporation, its capacity to install malware and withhold important updates, and its privileged access to computer systems, which might allow it to steal sensitive data from American machines.
The designation, which was made public on Friday, freezes assets held in the United States and forbids American persons or businesses from trading or engaging in financial activities with the sanctioned executives.
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