Russia responds to US ban on Kaspersky

A US government decision to stop using software from Kaspersky Lab undermines fair competition, said Russia. The Kremlin statement came in response to a 90-day deadline given to US federal agencies to remove the security software.

The US Department of Homeland Security said it was concerned about ties between company officials and the Russian intelligence services.

Kaspersky Lab has repeatedly denied that it has ties to the Kremlin. In addition, US retailer Best Buy has said it would no longer sell Kaspersky products in its stores. The decision also "called into question the reliability of the United States as partners," said Russia.

Kaspersky said it was disappointed by the US decision but would attempt to prove that the allegations were unfounded.

"No credible evidence has been presented publicly by anyone or any organisation as the accusations are based on false allegations and inaccurate assumptions," the company said in a statement.

But two months ago the news website Bloomberg reported it had seen emails between chief executive Eugene Kaspersky and senior Kaspersky staff, outlining a secret cyber-security project apparently requested by the Russian intelligence service FSB.

UCJ, UNILORIN.