On June 20, 2024, the United States Commerce Department issued a ban on Kaspersky antivirus software. The ban will halt the selling of Kaspersky antivirus in the US, any user support, and any product updates, including antivirus signature updates starting on September 29, 2024 at 12am Eastern Daylight Time. The United States has deemed Kaspersky Lab, Inc. poses “undue or unacceptable national security risk” after their investigation.
What this means
For all small businesses that utilize their products, it is strongly recommended to find a new solution and implement prior to the cutoff date at the end of September. The Commerce Department stated, “any individual or business that continues to use Kaspersky products and services assumes all the cybersecurity and associated risks of doing so.”
Firsts of its kind
This is the first time the Commerce Department has ever completely banned the selling of a cybersecurity solution in the United States. However, this is not the first time Kaspersky. In 2017 the United States banned Kaspersky Lab products on all federal systems. As cybersecurity comes more to the forefront these types of actions may occur more frequently. We may also see more attention on policy and have new laws or regulations to adhere with.
Next steps
It is time to look for a new antivirus or endpoint solution. If your small business utilizes a managed service provider for IT, have a conversation with them on what your next steps need to be. Ask them for a few options for your Kaspersky replacement and give them a thorough assessment. If you manage your own IT, look to see what options make sense and create an implementation plan.
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