June 21, 2024 at 04:27PM
The US Treasury Department sanctioned a dozen executives of Kaspersky Lab due to national security threats, preventing US persons and entities from doing business with them. Despite this, CEO Eugene Kaspersky was spared. The move aligns with previous actions, including a ban on Kaspersky products in US government networks, citing concerns over potential collaboration with Russian intelligence.
The meeting notes highlight the recent move by the US government to impose sanctions on Kaspersky Lab by designating a dozen senior executives at the antivirus maker. The sanctions prevent US entities from doing business with the designated individuals, with potential repercussions for non-US financial institutions as well.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) cited national security threats in justifying the sanction, but notably spared CEO and co-founder Eugene Kaspersky from the designation. The Treasury also emphasized that Kaspersky Lab, its parent or subsidiary companies, and its CEO were not designated under the sanction.
The Treasury’s action mainly targeted top executives directly reporting to the Moscow-based firm’s CEO for operating in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy, citing Executive Order 14024 as the legal basis.
Additionally, the Commerce Department also issued directives to prohibit Kaspersky Lab Inc from providing its software and security services in the United States, while placing the company’s operations in Russia and the UK on the US government’s Entity List.
The move reflects concerns by the Biden White House and previous administrations regarding potential national security risks associated with the Russia-based antivirus developer, particularly the fear that the company could be coerced by the Russian government to compromise American individuals and organizations’ sensitive information.
The Treasury’s Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson, emphasized the commitment to safeguarding the cyber domain and protecting citizens against malicious cyber threats through the sanctions.
The meeting notes also detailed the specific individuals designated by the US government, including their roles and positions within Kaspersky Lab.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Kaspersky Lab declined to provide a comment on the matter.