UPDATE: Russia may reciprocate possible US’ ban on Kaspersky Lab

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MOSCOW, Jun 29 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Communications and Mass Media Ministry hopes the U.S. will not ban products of antivirus software maker Kaspersky Lab by the government, or Moscow will reciprocate, Minister Nikolai Nikiforov told reporters on Thursday.

“(The U.S.) is constantly discussing how not to use Russian software, although it’s widely spread. I don’t think such a language of unilateral sanctions is fruitful, because the Russian Federation could also follow the same path,” Nikiforov said.

Russia uses a great deal of U.S. software products, “but we don’t stoop to such a regime, when we ban something directly,” he said.

“Yes, we do have a register of local software, which has a certain priority. Believe me, the U.S. has stricter support protective measures. I hope such decisions won’t be made. If they are made, Russia certainly keeps the right to respond, as we’ve seen in the agriculture industry,” Nikiforov said.

Business daily Vedomosti reported that Kaspersky Lab had found accusations by U.S. authorities of the company’s ties with the Russian government inacceptable and unfounded.

“Kaspersky Lab is ready to respond to any questions and help any state entities in their investigation of its activities since the company is absolutely sure that any thorough study of its work will only prove that accusations of being engaged have no grounds,” a spokesperson for the company said.

The antivirus maker is a private company with no political ties to any country of the world, the spokesperson said.

Reuters reported that U.S. senators sought on Wednesday to ban Moscow-based cyber security company’s products from use by the military because of fears the company is vulnerable to “Russian government influence,” a day after the FBI interviewed several of its U.S. employees as part of a probe into its operations.

FBI agents visited the homes of Kaspersky employees late on Tuesday in multiple U.S. cities, although no search warrants were served, according to two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the FBI probe, as Reuters reported.

Kaspersky Lab confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that FBI agents have had “brief interactions” with some of its U.S. employees, discussions that the company described as “due diligence” chats. The FBI declined to comment.

The interviews were followed on Wednesday by the release of a defense spending policy bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee, which would prohibit the U.S. Defense Department from using Kaspersky Lab software platforms because the company “might be vulnerable to Russian government influence,” according to a summary of the legislation.

U.S. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who amended the spending bill to include the Kaspersky Lab language, said in a statement that “ties between Kaspersky Lab and the Kremlin are very alarming.”

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