The United States fears that the company, through its anti-virus software, could steal sensitive information from American computers, install malware, or block important updates. According to the source, Kaspersky has important US customers, including state and regional governments and infrastructure companies.
President Joe Biden's administration is expected to announce the plans later on Thursday. Two other sources reported that the US wants to add Kaspersky to the list of companies subject to trade restrictions.
Economics
The US Department of Economic Affairs declined to comment to Reuters. Kaspersky and the Russian embassy have not said anything yet. Kaspersky previously stated that it is a private company and has no ties to the Russian government.
The cybersecurity company is also active in the Netherlands. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice and Security said that the Netherlands does not intend to impose a ban on sales.
The government banned Kaspersky antivirus from the central government in 2018 on security grounds. There may be a chance that the program will be used for spying by Russian authorities. Concrete cases of abuse were not known at the time, but “it cannot be ruled out,” said then Minister of Justice and Security Fred Grapperhaus.
