US to ban Russian cybersecurity software over 'national security'
3 Min Read
Biden's administration intends to execute a ban on software by Russian Kaspersky Lab as early as this month.
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A sign above the headquarters of Kaspersky Lab in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 (AP)
US President Joe Biden seeks to ban the usage of software developed by Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab across all national enterprises, citing national security reasons.
A CNN report, citing an informed US official source, revealed that Biden could issue the ban, which aims to curb any threat to American infrastructure, as early as this month.
The executive order could be enabled by new Commerce Department powers derived from executive orders issued by both President Biden and former President Donald Trump, aimed at prohibiting Kaspersky Lab from offering specific services within the United States, according to the report.
So far, only US state apparatus is prohibited from utilizing Kaspersky Lab software. However, the report noted that no final consensus regarding the ban order was reached, with the Commerce Department making an "initial determination" to outlaw certain transactions between the Russian company and the US.
'Russian influence'
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced last month that he planned to meet with House leadership to address a national security danger.
Sullivan expressed he was confident in the decisions taken by President Joe Biden and that he was sure Biden would "ensure the security of the American people going forward."
According to Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made information on a severe national security danger accessible to all members of Congress.
Turner urged President Joe Biden to declassify information about the undefined danger so that Biden administration officials, US politicians, and US allies could consider how to respond to it.
CNN reported that a source who saw the material acknowledged that "it is, in fact, a highly concerning and destabilizing Russian capability that we were recently made aware of."
Read more: Kirby claims US security threat from Russia's anti-satellite weapons
The West rides the bandwagon
France’s Europe Minister Laurence Boone previously urged the US for help in countering the "Russian influence strategy" in nations applying to join the EU.
Speaking to Politico, she claimed "a lot of disinformation and interference" when it comes to qualifying as a member, as some European officials stressed that new members be accepted based on merit.
She continued to allege that Russia wants to "weaken the European Union” by undermining its expansion, as she called on Brussels to tackle the skeptical voices “as much as possible while respecting their sovereignty."
This comes after Western Balkan states and Ukraine have been identified by the EU leadership as potential members in the next wave of expansion, which European Council President Charles Michel and the bloc’s diplomacy chief Josep Borrell set to take place in 2030.
