US sanctions Russia's Kaspersky executives over cyber risks

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Department of Treasury on Friday imposed sanctions on 12 people in senior leadership roles at ​​​​​​​AO Kaspersky Lab, a Russian cybersecurity and anti-virus company.

"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 Nelson in a statement.

The US will take action where necessary to hold accountable those who would seek to facilitate or otherwise enable these activities, Nelson added.

The sanctions targeted company leadership including the chief business development officer, chief operating officer, legal officer, and others. However, the Department did not designate Chief Executive, Eugene Kaspersky or the company itself.

The statement came a day after Biden administration announced plans to ban the sale of the Kaspersky's antivirus software due to its alleged links to the Kremlin.

"Kaspersky is subject to the jurisdiction, control, or direction of the Russian government, which could exploit the privileged access to obtain sensitive data, including personal information, or bypass cybersecurity measures, thereby posing an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety and security of U.S. persons," State Department said on Friday.