The Trump administration on Wednesday told U.S. government agencies to remove Kaspersky Lab products from their information systems, saying it was concerned the Moscow-based cybersecurity firm was vulnerable to Kremlin influence.
The decision represents a sharp response to what U.S. intelligence agencies have described as a national security threat posed by Russia in cyberspace, following an election year marred by allegations that Moscow weaponized the internet in an attempt to influence its outcome.
In a statement, Kaspersky Lab rejected the allegations, as it has done repeatedly in recent months, and said its critics were misinterpreting Russian data-sharing laws that only applied to communications services.