US Treasury Sanctions 12 Kaspersky Executives Days after Banning the Software Company in the Country

• The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on 12 executives from the Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
• These sanctions, however, do not extend to the company, its subsidiaries, or the CEO.
• Kaspersky was recently banned from operating in the U.S. because authorities believe that Russia might use its influence over it to harm U.S. citizens.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions against 12 top-level executives from Kaspersky, just a few days after confirming the ban of the company's cybersecurity products in the U.S.

Addressing this decision, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson said that this move underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber threats."

Here's a list of the people who have been sanctioned:

• Andrei Gennadyevich Tikhonov, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and board member
• Daniil Sergeyevich Borshchev, Deputy CEO and board member
• Andrei Anatolyevich Efremov, Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) and board member
• Igor Gennadyevich Chekunov, Chief Legal Officer (CLO) and board member
• Andrey Petrovich Dukhvalov, Vice President and Director of Future Technologies
• Andrei Anatolyevich Suvorov, Head of Kaspersky Operating System Business Unit
• Denis Vladimirovich Zenkin, Head of Corporate Communications
• Marina Mikhaylovna Alekseeva, Chief Human Resources (HR) Officer
• Mikhail Yuryevich Gerber, Executive Vice President of Consumer Business Anton
• Mikhaylovich Ivanov, Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
• Kirill Aleksandrovich Astrakhan, Executive Vice President for Corporate Business
• Anna Vladimirovna Kulashova, Managing Director for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

It's important to note that the sanctions have only been imposed against the above-mentioned 12 individuals. They do not extend to Kaspersky Lab, its parent or subsidiary companies, or its founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Eugene Kaspersky.

Why Is the U.S. Banning Kaspersky?

The reason for this ban is pretty straightforward: the deteriorating relationship between Russia and the U.S. It's now at an all-time low amidst the Russia-Ukraine war.

Given how malicious Russia can be in the cybersecurity space, the U.S. believes that Russia might use its influence on Kaspersky to track U.S. citizens or gain access to their private data.

It's well worth noting that Russia was recently called out by Germany and the EU for orchestrating cyberattacks. A lot of cyberattacks around the world have been undertaken by Russia-based hacking groups.

This includes the massive ransomware attack on London hospitals and the attack on Microsoft's internal systems, as well as breaching the UK's Ministry of Defense, targeting foreign diplomats in Ukraine with cheap BMW adverts, the cyberattack on the University of Missouri, and loads more.

Plus, Kaspersky deals with security products, which makes it all the more dangerous to allow it to continue operating in the country. What's more, the U.S. authorities haven't based this decision on a whim, as Kaspersky's track record has been questionable, to say the least.

Kaspersky ban: The company cannot take on new U.S. customers from July 20, 2024. Existing Kaspersky users can still use its products but they won't be able to download any software updates after September 29.What Did Kaspersky Say in Response to the Ban?

Kaspersky said that although it understands why the U.S. might see it as a threat given the current geopolitical conditions, the allegations made aren't true.

The company also added that it has never done anything to compromise the security of the U.S. and its citizens. Hence, it'll challenge this decision and take every possible legal route to reinstate its business in the US.

However, these sanctions have proved how stern the U.S. is in this regard, so the chances of Kaspersky's return seem very bleak.

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