Kaspersky Laboratory plans to reorganise its Washington-based Kaspersky Government Security Solutions (KGSS) unit, providing services for US state institutions, reports Cnews.ru. The company plans to open two additional units in the US and one unit in Canada, namely in Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto.
Kaspersky also has engineering branches in the state of Washington and in the state of Massachusetts in the US. It earned revenues of more than USD 600 million in the US and Canada in 2016.
In July, the US government excluded Kaspersky from the list of suppliers to state institutions. Most recently the Department of Homeland Security banned the company from all federal departments and agencies. US government users are expected to discontinue use of any Kaspersky software within 90 days due to risks it could gain access to state files.
Homeland Security said it's "concerned about the ties between certain Kaspersky officials and Russian intelligence and other government agencies, and requirements under Russian law that allow Russian intelligence agencies to request or compel assistance from Kaspersky and to intercept communications transiting Russian networks". US national security could be at threat if the Russian government capitalized on the access made possible by Kaspersky products, it said.
