Kaspersky CTO among 12 executives hit with US sanctions one day after antivirus sales ban
"Today’s action against the leadership of Kaspersky Lab underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against threats."
The United States has sanctioned 12 Kaspersky executives, including its CTO, a day after banning all sales of the Russian company’s antivirus software.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) “designated” the individuals, freezing their assets.
People in the US are now banned from conducting any transactions with the designated dozen, which means they cannot exchange funds, goods, property or services.
Additionally, foreign financial institutions that "conduct or facilitate significant transactions or provide any service involving Russia’s military-industrial base" also run the risk of being sanctioned.
“Today’s action against the leadership of Kaspersky Lab underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber threats,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.
“The United States will take action where necessary to hold accountable those who would seek to facilitate or otherwise enable these activities.”
The US Treasury's list of sanctioned individuals
Andrei Gennadyevich Tikhonov (Tikhonov): Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Daniil Sergeyevich Borshchev (Borshchev): Deputy CEO of Strategy and Economics.
Andrei Anatolyevich Efremov (Efremov): Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO).
Igor Gennadyevich Chekunov (Chekunov): Chief Legal Officer (CLO).
Andrey Petrovich Dukhvalov (Dukhvalov): Vice President and Director of Future Technologies.
Andrei Anatolyevich Suvorov (Suvorov): Head of Kaspersky Operating System Business Unit.
Denis Vladimirovich Zenkin (Zenkin): Head of Corporate Communications.
Marina Mikhaylovna Alekseeva (Alekseeva): Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).
Mikhail Yuryevich Gerber (Gerber): Executive Vice President of Consumer Business.
Anton Mikhaylovich Ivanov (Ivanov): Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
Kirill Aleksandrovich Astrakhan (Astrakhan): Executive Vice President for Corporate Business,.
Anna Vladimirovna Kulashova (Kulashova): Managing Director for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States
On Thursday, the US announced a ban on sales of antivirus software made by Kaspersky Lab, citing national security concerns.
The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry claimed that Kaspersky's company’s continued operations in the United States "presented a national security risk" due to the Russian Government’s "offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kaspersky’s operations" that could "not be addressed through mitigation measures short of a total prohibition."
Three international wings of Kaspersky, including Kaspersky Labs Limited, based in the United Kingdom, were also added to the US entity list, which subjects organisations deemed to be a national security concern to export restrictions and licensing requirements.
"Russia has shown it has the capacity and ... the intent to exploit Russian companies... to collect and weaponise the personal information of Americans and that is why we are compelled to take the action that we are taking today," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Kaspersky vowed to fight to defend its reputation after the ban.
In a statement, it wrote: “Kaspersky remains committed to protecting the world from cyber threats. The company’s business remains resilient and strong, marked by an 11 percent growth in sales bookings in 2023. We look forward to what the future holds, and will continue to defend ourselves against actions that seek to unfairly harm our reputation and commercial interests.”
It added: "The primary impact of these measures will be the benefit they provide to cybercrime. International cooperation between cybersecurity experts is crucial in the fight against malware, and yet this will restrict those efforts.
"Furthermore, it takes away the freedom that consumers and organizations, large and small, should have to use the protection they want, in this case forcing them away from the best anti-malware technology in the industry, according to independent tests. This will cause a dramatic disruption for our customers, who will be forced to urgently replace technology they prefer and have relied upon for their protection for years."
