After being banned in the US, Kaspersky, the Moscow-based antivirus company, tried to reassure the US government by offering a third-party review of its software to prove that the Kremlin doesn’t have access to its code. Despite these efforts, the proposal was rejected by the US authorities, as reported by TheRegister.
US Skepticism and Kaspersky’s Response
Undeterred by the rejection, Kaspersky remains hopeful of re-entering the US market, which made up nearly 10% of its global revenue in 2023. CEO Eugene Kaspersky addressed these concerns in a blog post, highlighting the company’s commitment to transparency and security.
Kaspersky proposed a “comprehensive assessment framework” to the US Department of Commerce, aiming to mitigate ICT supply chain risks related to product development and distribution. The proposal was meant to reassure that data processed in the US would stay within the country, preventing Kremlin access.
The proposed assessment would focus on:
- Local data processing to ensure US data remains in the US.
- Ensuring no personal customer information is included in the data processed by Kaspersky.
- Scrutinizing Kaspersky’s threat database to ensure no suspicious updates are pushed to its software.
These measures would be overseen by an independent third party to guarantee transparency and security.
Continued Efforts and Broader Outreach
Kaspersky’s VP of Public Affairs, Yuliya Shlychkova, emphasized the importance of transparency, stating that both the data sent to and from Kaspersky solutions would be checked by third-party reviewers. Despite the US rejection, Kaspersky remains committed to proving its neutrality, especially amid heightened tensions between the US and Russia.
As a further demonstration of good faith, Kaspersky has offered the same assessment framework to the EU, hoping to underline its commitment to remaining a neutral and trustworthy party in the cybersecurity landscape.
