The US Federal Communications Commission has added Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, China Telecom (Americas) Corp, and China Mobile International USA to its list of communications equipment and service providers deemed threats to US national security.
FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the decision is part of “ongoing efforts” to strengthen US communication networks against national security threats.
“Their addition, as well as Kaspersky Labs, will help secure our networks fr om threats posed by Chinese and Russian state backed entities seeking to engage in espionage and otherwise harm America’s interests,” she said.
In response to the FCC’s move Kaspersky released a statement wh ere it said that “this decision is not based on any technical assessment of Kaspersky products – that the company continuously advocates for – but instead is being made on political grounds.”
Earlier this month, Germany’s computer and communication security agency issued a warning urging German customers not to use antivirus software made by Kaspersky due to the risk of Russian cyberattacks.