The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has officially prohibited the integration of Kaspersky cybersecurity and antivirus software into telecommunications equipment in the United States. This decision follows the U.S. government’s earlier ban on the sale of Kaspersky products, which led the cybersecurity firm to shut down its U.S. operations and lay off its American workforce.
The FCC’s recent move adds Kaspersky to the “Covered List” of equipment and services that are considered to pose a significant risk to U.S. national security and the safety of American citizens. Telecom operators are now required to remove Kaspersky software from their networks and replace it with alternative security providers. Additionally, any equipment using Kaspersky software will no longer be eligible for FCC authorization.
Kaspersky has continuously denied any influence by the Russian government and has offered to allow a third-party review of its code as a transparency measure. However, these offers have been dismissed by U.S. officials. In response to the FCC’s decision, Kaspersky’s CEO, Eugene Kaspersky, reaffirmed the company’s openness to cooperation, stating, “We have submitted mitigation measures in a proposal for discussion with the U.S. Department of Commerce, which once again underscores our commitment to transparency and our dedication to providing the highest level of security assurances. However, our proposal was simply ignored.”
The U.S. government’s scrutiny of Kaspersky began in 2017 when the Department of Homeland Security restricted the use of the software across government departments and agencies, and later expanded the ban to military systems, citing concerns over potential Kremlin influence.