MOSCOW: Russia-based global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky anno­unced on Tuesday it would wind down US operations after Wash­ington sanctioned its senior officials and banned the sale of its popular antivirus software.

Washington has justified the rulings over Kaspersky’s alleged links to the Russian government, which the company strongly denies.

Kaspersky said it made the “sad but difficult decision” after almost 20 years of operating in the United States, because “business opportunities (there) are no longer viable”.

“Starting from July 20, 2024 Kaspersky will gradually wind down its US operations and eliminate US-based positions,” the company said in a statement. The company will be able to carry out some activity until September 29.

Kaspersky was founded in 1997 by Russia-born Eugene Kaspersky. One of Russia’s few IT firms to have been successful internationally, it has over 400 million product users.

Kaspersky studied at a KGB academy and then worked for the defence ministry. The decision comes after the US Department of Commerce on June 20 announced a ban on selling and distributing Kaspersky products in the US, the company added.

Last month, the US also unveiled sanctions against 12 top leaders of Kaspersky Lab.

The US Commerce Department said that using the company’s software “presented a national security risk” due to the Russian government’s “offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kaspersky’s operations”.

This is the first time such action has been taken since an executive order issued under Donald Trump’s presidency gave the US Commerce Department powers to investigate whether certain companies pose a national security risk.

Kaspersky vowed to keep operating, saying its “key priority remains the same — to protect our customers in any country from cyberthreats”.

Kaspersky did not allow consumers to purchase any products on its website earlier in the day, citing “purchase unavailable for US customers”.

The news of the company’s plan to leave the US was first reported by CNN. The new restrictions by the US government on inbound sales of Kaspersky software, which would bar downloads of software updates, resales and licensing of the product, will come into effect on Sept 29.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2024