Kaspersky Labs Starts Shutting Down Its US Operations on July 20 After BIS Ban

• Cybersecurity company Kaspersky announced retreating from the U.S. market starting this month.
• Its American division employees have already been notified about the elimination of their positions with the company.
• The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security announced in June that selling Kaspersky antivirus in the U.S. was prohibited.

Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has announced closing its business in America after operating there for two decades, according to a BBC report. The gradual wind-down starts on July 20, citing “no longer viable” business opportunities there.

According to several sources, Kaspersky has notified its U.S. division employees that they are being laid off this week. The company's U.S. website already prohibits the purchase of antivirus and cybersecurity tools.

The news comes after the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced a ban on selling Kaspersky antivirus in the country last month over alleged ties to the Russian government. At the time, the Russian software company announced its intentions to fight the ban via all legally available options.

BIS mentioned that Kaspersky’s U.S. operations posed a significant national security risk, but the antivirus giant has denied the allegations.

Besides, Kaspersky has been on the American Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Covered List since 2022 and was added to the BIS Entity List last month, which is a U.S. government document containing foreign individuals, companies, and organizations believed to be a national security concern. Germany and Canada have similar restrictions for Kaspersky.

The company announced its software and antivirus signature updates will still be available to existing customers until September 29. However, choosing to continue using this product beyond that date may significantly compromise security, potentially exposing systems to cyber threats.