The Trump administration has removed Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab from its approved supplier list, a move that has come as Kaspersky Lab's concerns about losing U.S. government contracts due to its alleged ties to the Russian government have been realized.
According to a spokeswoman for the US General Services Administration, the decision was made “after review and careful consideration.” However, this review constitutes specific measures taken against Kaspersky Lab, given that US government officials have deemed it suspicious of involvement with Russian authorities.
Kaspersky Lab has repeatedly stated that it “has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world conduct cyber espionage,” with its founder, Eugene Kaspersky, claiming he is willing to provide the source code to prove his company’s innocence. The US government, however, does not accept Kaspersky’s claims, filing internal reports suggesting that Trump is considering a broader ban that would block all US agencies from using Kaspersky software.
In a statement, Kaspersky Lab said it has not yet received any notification from any US government agency indicating that it is being blocked as a vendor, and added that it believes it is “caught in the middle of a geopolitical struggle where each side is trying to use the company as a pawn in their political game.”
