Kaspersky Lab sues US government to rescind the ban from its software products

Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cyber security firm, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government to push back against the ban on its anti-virus products. The ban has brought about a lengthy back-and-forth between Kaspersky and the U.S. government over allegations that the software maker’s products are an asset for Russian espionage efforts. In September, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told US government agencies to remove Kaspersky Lab from their computer networks within 90 days.

In a tweet, Eugene Kaspersky, the company’s founder, said, “We’re securing out rights by taking this to the courts.” The company says that the US has deprived it of due process rights by banning its software from government agencies, and it would never pursue cyber espionage. Eugene also said, “Because Kaspersky Lab has not been provided a fair opportunity in regards to the allegations and no technical evidence has been produced to validate DHS’s actions, it is in the company’s interests to defend itself in this matter. Regardless of the DHS decision, we will continue to do what really matters: make the world safer from cybercrime.”

In October, Kaspersky presented its source codes for its software to independent authorities so they could inspect them. But the US officials say that though this is important, it is still not enough to prove that Kaspersky doesn’t threaten national security. On the other hand, Kaspersky believes that the government’s judgment of its software comes from unreliable and uncorroborated reports. It asks the court to rescind the ban and also declare that its products don’t pose a security threat to US government computers.