The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has labeled Kaspersky Lab “a threat to national security,” a first for a Russian firm.
Kaspersky Lab is a popular provider of antivirus software and other cybersecurity software. The company is often on the front lines of identifying and combating viruses, trojans, ransomware, and other malware. The company is also based in Moscow, and therefore subject to Russian law and governance.
That last point has helped land the company on the FCC’s Covered List, a list of entities “that have been deemed a threat to national security.” Chinese firms China Telecom and China Mobile International USA Inc, were also added at the same time.
“Last year, for the first time, the FCC published a list of communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to national security, and we have been working closely with our national security partners to review and update this list,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Today’s action is the latest in the FCC’s ongoing efforts, as part of the greater whole-of-government approach, to strengthen America’s communications networks against national security threats, including examining the foreign ownership of telecommunications companies providing service in the United States and revoking the authorization to operate where necessary. Our work in this area continues.”
The news was met with support from the agency’s other commissioners, including Commissioner Brendan Carr.
“The FCC’s decision to add these three entities to our Covered List is welcome news,” wrote Carr. The FCC plays a critical role in securing our nation’s communications networks, and keeping our Covered List up to date is an important tool we have at our disposal to do just that. In particular, I am pleased that our national security agencies agreed with my assessment that China Mobile and China Telecom appeared to meet the threshold necessary to add these entities to our list. Their addition, as well as Kaspersky Labs, will help secure our networks from threats posed by Chinese and Russian state backed entities seeking to engage in espionage and otherwise harm America’s interests.
“I applaud Chairwoman Rosenworcel for working closely with our partners in the Executive Branch on these updates. As we continue our work to secure America’s communications networks, I am confident that we will have more entities to add to our Covered List.”