FCC listed Kaspersky as of national security threat

FCC listed Kaspersky as of national security threat. 

According to Bloomberg, the US Federal Communications Commission has added Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab to its list of companies that pose an “unacceptable risk to US national security.” 

However, this is the first time a Russian firm has been added to the list, dominated by Chinese firms like Huawei and ZTE.

Businesses in the United States are prohibited from purchasing items or services from the companies on the list using federal subsidies provided by the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund. 

On Friday, the FCC added China Telecom and China Mobile International USA to its list and Kaspersky.

In a news statement, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, “I am happy that our national security agencies agreed with my assessment that China Mobile and China Telecom looked to meet the threshold necessary to add these businesses to our list” (PDF). 

MORE: Amazon Games studio head Mike Frazzini is resigning his position.

“Their inclusion, together with Kaspersky Labs, will help defend our networks against threats presented by Chinese and Russian state-sponsored enterprises aiming to engage in espionage and harm America’s interests.”

In a statement on its website, Kaspersky said the FCC’s decision was “based on political considerations” regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The business “remains ready to engage with US government authorities to address the FCC’s and other regulatory agency’s concerns.”

According to an allegation rejected by the Moscow-based corporation, Russian intelligence allegedly used Kaspersky antivirus software to obtain confidential documents from the National Security Agency in 2017. 

After accusing the corporation of having ties to the Kremlin, former President Donald Trump signed a bill prohibiting federal institutions from using Kaspersky products later that year.