WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky has announced that the company would appeal the US Department of Homeland Security's decision to ban its products on government networks.
"My company has not been provided a fair opportunity in regards to the allegations and no technical evidence has been produced to validate the actions that have transpired against us," the statement reads.
Kaspersky said the company filed its appeal under the Administrative Procedure Act to challenge the decision of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
"DHS's actions have caused undue damage to both the company's reputation in the IT security industry and its sales in the United States. It has unfairly called into question Kaspersky Lab's fundamental principles of protecting its customers and combatting cyber threats, regardless of their origin or purpose," the company said in a statement.
In September, the US Department of Homeland Security ordered state agencies and departments to stop using Kaspersky Lab products over their potential threat to the internal cybersecurity. However, Eugene Kaspersky has repeatedly refuted all the cyber-espionage allegations, calling them arrant nonsense.
Following the ban, Kaspersky said that his company did not intend to close its business in the United States, adding that the company's sales strategy would remain practically unchanged as it focused on small and medium businesses and online sales of individual products.
READ MORE: Kaspersky Lab on NSA's Stolen Data: User Disabled the Antivirus on His Computer
According to Kaspersky, there has been no massive outflow of customers after the entry into force of these restrictions despite the damage caused to the company's reputation in the US.
US President Donald Trump signed the US defense budget for the fiscal year 2018 on December 12, which also prohibits the use of Kaspersky Lab's software products by US government agencies.
Russian Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described actions of the US authorities as "discriminatory," adding that the situations cast "a shadow on the image of the United States as a reliable partner."
