NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky says it's shutting down all of its operations in the United States, just weeks after the Commerce Department banned the use of the company's software in the country.
Kaspersky will 鈥済radually wind down鈥 its U.S. operations starting July 20, according to a statement from the Moscow company. Positions based in the U.S. will also be eliminated, the company said, later confirming that fewer than 50 employees would be impacted.
鈥淜aspersky has been operating in the U.S. for close to 20 years, contributing to the nation鈥檚 strategic cybersecurity goals by safeguarding organizations and individuals in the country from ever-evolving cyberthreats," Kaspersky stated. 鈥淭he company has carefully examined and evaluated the impact of the U.S. legal requirements and made this sad and difficult decision as business opportunities in the country are no longer viable.鈥
Last month, the Commerce Department announced a ban on sales of Kaspersky software in the U.S. The government argued the company's Russian connections pose an 鈥渦ndue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety and security.鈥
Aside from Kaspersky's obligation to abide by Russian law, its software could be exploited to identify sensitive data of U.S. citizens and make it available to Russian government actors, the department said in a dated June 14.
鈥淭he Department of Commerce鈥檚 action against Kaspersky Labs was taken to address a substantial threat to U.S. national security," an agency spokesperson said in a statement to The Associated Press Tuesday 鈥 adding that the action 鈥渨as not taken lightly,鈥 as it resulted from a thorough investigation and assessment of the risks posed by the products and services the company provides.
Kaspersky has previously denied that it is a security threat. In a June 21 , the company said it cannot deliberately obtain sensitive data on Americans and that its operations and employees in Russia can only access aggregate or statistical data not attributable to a specific person.
The company also argued that the government had based its decision on the 鈥済eopolitical climate and theoretical concerns鈥 rather than independently verifying risk. Kaspersky said this would benefit cybercriminals, while also diminishing consumer choice.
In last month's decision, the department said it had considered Kaspersky鈥檚 objections to the initial findings of its investigation, but found that the decision to ban its software was still 鈥渨ell supported.鈥
Kaspersky boasts one of the world鈥檚 most popular consumer antivirus products and a research unit widely respected for routinely exposing elite hacking groups. In the company's announcement this week, Kaspersky said its 鈥渂usiness remains resilient鈥 and that its priority to 鈥減rotect our customers in any country from cyberthreats鈥 was unchanged.
Journalist Kim Zetter first the news of the company shutting down its U.S. operations on Monday.
