US announces sanctions on Kaspersky anti-virus managers
After the recent announcement of a total ban about Kaspersky, the antivirus software developed in Russia in the US, the Ministry of Finance has sanctions issued against twelve company executives.
The individuals in question sit high in the company, with six employees in Kaspersky’s C-suite, four of whom sit on the board. The rest are known as senior managers and even vice presidents within the company.
Existing Kaspersky users in the US are warned that updates to the software will stop on September 29, 2024, making the software virtually obsolete in the rapidly changing world of malware hazards.
Kaspersky sanction consequences
AO Kaspersky Lab, OOO Kaspersky Group and Kaspersky Ltd. have, as associated entities, been identified as a national security risk in the future, due to concerns that the software could be used to steal sensitive information from users, exposing the company to accusations of espionage.
The Treasury Department’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, spoke of the government’s “commitment to (protecting) our citizens from malicious cyber threats,” citing accountability as a key driver.
“The United States will take action as necessary to hold accountable those who seek to facilitate or otherwise enable these activities,” he added.
The increased scrutiny of the company, which began with an investigation and is likely to culminate in this Treasury Department action, follows the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and concerns that U.S. citizens could be targeted by identity theft after the country’s government has loudly supported Ukraine.
The total ban follows previous bans on the software of US government devices, and in October 2023 Canadian.