For the first time, the USA added a Russian company to the blacklist, which includes Huawei: Kaspersky Lab

The US Federal Communications Board (FCC) has identified Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab as an unacceptable risk to the country’s national security. It is the first time that a Russian company has been added to the black list, which previously included Huawei and ZTE.

‘We are ready to work with the FCC to address concerns’

The FCC published a “Covered List” in March last year and added 5 companies it deemed a threat to national security to this list. Companies on the list do not receive support from the FCC’s $8 billion Universal Service Fund.

3 more companies have been added to the list with an update made recently. Alongside Kaspersky Lab, China Mobile International USA and China Telecom were also included in the list, bringing the total number of companies to eight.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr: “The FCC plays a critical role in ensuring the security of our nation’s communications networks, and keeping our Closed List updated is an important tool at our disposal to do just that.” said.

Kaspersky made a statement after this: “This decision is not based on any technical evaluation of Kaspersky products, which the company has consistently defended. Instead, it is made on political grounds.” statements were included. The company also stated that they agreed to work with the FCC and other US government agencies to address the distrust.

Kaspersky products were also restricted in the US in 2017. The then US president Trump banned Kaspersky products from being used by federal agencies after Russian intelligence alleged that the company’s products were used to steal classified documents from the National Security Agency.