{"id":164792,"date":"2024-06-22T14:31:49","date_gmt":"2024-06-22T14:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securityaffairs.com\/?p=164792"},"modified":"2024-06-22T14:31:51","modified_gmt":"2024-06-22T14:31:51","slug":"us-sanctions-kaspersky-lab-executives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/securityaffairs.com\/164792\/security\/us-sanctions-kaspersky-lab-executives.html","title":{"rendered":"US government sanctions twelve Kaspersky Lab executives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned twelve Kaspersky Lab\u00a0executives for their role in the Russian company.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned twelve Kaspersky Lab\u00a0executives for their role in the Russian company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the sanctioned individuals are in executive and senior leadership roles at AO Kaspersky Lab (Kaspersky Lab).\u00a0<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday\u2019s action against the leadership of Kaspersky Lab underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber threats,\u201d said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence\u00a0Brian E. Nelson.<\/strong><\/a> \u00a0\u201cThe United States will take action where necessary to hold accountable those who would seek to facilitate or otherwise enable these activities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 20, 2024, the Biden administration announced<\/strong><\/a> the ban on selling Kaspersky antivirus software due to the risks posed by Russia to U.S. national security. The U.S. government is implementing a new rule leveraging powers established during the Trump administration to ban the sale of Kaspersky software, citing national security risks posed by Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commerce Department\u2019s Bureau of Industry and Security banned the Russian cybersecurity firm because it is based in Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government experts believe that the influence of the Kremlin over the company poses a significant risk,\u00a0reported the Reuters<\/a>. Russia-linked actors can abuse the software\u2019s privileged access to a computer\u2019s systems to steal sensitive information from American computers or spread malware, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a briefing call with reporters on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRussia has shown it has the capacity and\u2026 the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize the personal information of Americans and that is why we are compelled to take the action that we are taking today,\u201d Raimondo said on the call.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TechCrunch reported<\/a> that the ban will start on July 20, however, the company\u2019s activities, including software updates to its US customers, will be prohibited on September 29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat means your software and services will degrade. That\u2019s why I strongly recommend that you immediately find an alternative to Kaspersky,\u201d Raimondo said. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raimondo is inviting Kaspersky\u2019s customers to replace their software, it also explained that U.S. clients who already use Kaspersky\u2019s antivirus are not violating the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cU.S. individuals and businesses that continue to use or have existing Kaspersky products and services are not in violation of the law, you have done nothing wrong and you are not subject to any criminal or civil penalties,\u201d Raimondo added. \u201cHowever, I would encourage you in the strongest possible terms, to immediately stop using that software and switch to an alternative in order to protect yourself and your data and your family.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department will notify U.S. consumers about the ban. They will also set up a website to provide impacted customers with more information about the ban and instructions on the replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US cybersecurity agency CISA will notify critical infrastructure operators using Kaspersky software to support them in the replacement of the security firm.<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Department of Commerce has also added AO Kaspersky Lab, OOO Kaspersky Group (Russia), and Kaspersky Labs Limited (United Kingdom) to the Entity List. The US government speculates the two companies cooperate with Russian military and intelligence authorities in support of the Russian government\u2019s cyber intelligence activities.<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Department of Commerce has added AO Kaspersky Lab, OOO Kaspersky Group (Russia), and Kaspersky Labs Limited (United Kingdom) to the Entity List. This designation is due to their cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities in support of the Russian government\u2019s cyber intelligence activities, which pose risks to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US government sanctioned the following Kaspersky Lab\u00a0employees:<\/p>\n\n\n\n