The United States unveiled sanctions on Friday against 12 top leaders of Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, a day after it banned the sale of the popular antivirus software on national security grounds.
The sweeping sanctions target many of Kaspersky Lab’s most senior leaders, including its chief operating officer, while exempting the CEO and the company itself, the Treasury Department said in a statement announcing the designation.
“Today’s action against Kaspersky Lab’s leadership underscores our commitment to ensuring the integrity of our online domain and protecting our citizens from malicious cyber threats,” said US Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson.
“The United States will take action where appropriate to hold accountable those who seek to facilitate or otherwise enable these activities,” he added.
In a separate statement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the company was subject to the “jurisdiction, control or direction of the Russian government, which could exploit privileged access to obtain sensitive data.”
US bans Russia’s Kaspersky antivirus software
That poses “an unacceptable risk to US national security or the safety and security of US individuals,” he added.
The Treasury Department’s sanctions come a day after the Commerce Department announced it was barring the Moscow-based cybersecurity firm from supplying its popular antivirus products to the US.
That announcement came after a lengthy investigation which, the Commerce Department said, found that “Kaspersky’s continued operations in the United States presented a national security risk due to aggressive government capabilities and the ability of the Russian government to influence or direct the operations of Kaspersky”.
Kaspersky, in a statement to AFP, pledged to “pursue all legally available options to maintain its current operations and relationships,” adding that it “does not engage in activities that threaten US national security.”
Friday’s appointment targeted many of the company’s top officials, including the company’s longtime CEO, Andrei Tikhonov, and its chief legal officer, Igor Chekhunov, the finance ministry said.
Source: AFP