Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky is withdrawing from the US market for good.

From 20 July 2024, it will no longer be possible to buy its products on American soil. Kaspersky is laying off around 50 of its American employees. Software updates will be available to existing customers until 24 September 2024.

Why is Kaspersky leaving the United States ?

The USA has accused Kaspersky of maintaining close links
with the Russian government and, as a result, acting as a gateway for collecting and exploiting Americans' personal data. With the Russian IT company posing a threat to homeland security, the US State Department has taken action against the company. 

Measures taken by the Biden administration and their impact on Kaspersky 

There are :
- A ban on the sale and downloading of Kaspersky products in the United States,
- The freezing of the assets of certain Kaspersky executives by the US Treasury, in particular the CFO, the HR Director, the CTO and the General Counsel.

These decisions have had major consequences for the company : it has lost a major market and its American customers are in a state of confusion.

In response, Kaspersky rejects these accusations and says that it is not involved in any activities harmful to US interests. We regret this decision, but we are convinced that it is the best one for our company and our employees in the long term’, said Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky.

Source : Silicon

Vanessa Ntoh