Kaspersky Lab announced on Monday, according to Reuters, that it has asked a US federal court to overturn a ban on the use of its products imposed by the Trump administration.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a directive in September that required government agencies to remove Kaspersky software from their networks within 90 days, saying the software could facilitate Russian spies and threaten national security.
The lawsuit is part of an ongoing effort by Kaspersky to counter claims that the company cannot say no to the Kremlin's demands. The company has repeatedly denied any ties to any government and said it does not assist in government espionage efforts.
“DHS has damaged Kaspersky Lab’s reputation and commercial operations without any indication of wrongdoing by the company,” the company’s founder, Eugene Kaspersky, said in an open letter to Homeland Security published on Monday.
The lawsuit alleges that the government relied heavily on unsubstantiated news reports to judge Kaspersky's software. The Russian company is asking the court to overturn the ban and to issue a public statement saying that its products do not pose a threat to the security of the US government.
The value of Kaspersky's software sales to the U.S. government amounts to $54,000, or about 0.03 percent of its U.S. subsidiary's sales, according to the complaint.
But allegations about the software have hurt the company's business overall, leading retailers such as Best Buy Co. to pull Kaspersky products.
Kaspersky said in October that it would submit the source code of its software and future updates for third-party review. U.S. officials said that while such a move would be welcome, it would not be enough.
