Anti-virus software used by millions deemed 'national security threat'

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that Kaspersky anti-virus software is a "national security threat".

The announcement from the US regulator comes only weeks after Germany's Federal Office for Information Security advised all citizens to avoid downloading and installing Kaspersky as the regulator found doubt in the "reliability of the manufacturer." Relatively the same statements have echoed from the FCC, that have now added Kaspersky to its list of "communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to national security".

When Germany advised against Kaspersky, the anti-virus company responded by denying any ties to the Russian government or any other government and that the decision made by Germany's cybersecurity agency was politically charged and wasn't based on a technical analysis of Kaspersky's products. Kaspersky is a Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus firm that has its corporate headquarters in Moscow and operates a holdings company in the United Kingdom.