Kaspersky antivirus software on the US National Security Risk List

Antivirus software maker Kaspersky Labs has been included on a federal list of companies that pose “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.”

The Moscow-based cybersecurity company, which it says has more than 400 million users worldwide, has been named to the Federal Communications Commission list of limited units on Friday alongside two Chinese companies.

Now that Kaspersky is on the list — which includes Huawei and China Telecom, among other Chinese firms — American companies are barred from buying its products or services with federal subsidies.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement that the move “will help protect our networks from threats from Chinese and Russian state-backed entities attempting to engage in espionage and otherwise harm America’s interests.”

In a statement to The Post, Kaspersky accused the FCC of playing politics amid Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Kaspersky is disappointed with the Federal Communications Commission’s decision,” Kaspersky said. “This decision is not based on a technical evaluation of Kaspersky products – which the company continuously promotes – but on political grounds.”

It’s not the first time that Kaspersky, which claims to be the world’s largest private cybersecurity company, has been embroiled in a US political controversy.

In 2017, the US government said Russian hackers used Kaspersky software to steal classified National Security Agency documents.

The Trump administration then banned all US agencies from using Kaspersky software, citing national security concerns.

At the time, US officials said Kaspersky was vulnerable to Kremlin influence – a claim the company denied at the time and criticized again on Monday.

“Kaspersky alleges that the US government’s 2017 bans on federal agencies and federal contractors from using Kaspersky products and services were unconstitutional, based on baseless allegations, and lacked public evidence of the company’s wrongdoing,” Kaspersky said.

Germany has also warned of Kaspersky’s alleged Kremlin connections in recent weeks.

In mid-March, the country’s cybersecurity agency told the Germans to uninstall the Kaspersky software from their devices because it left them vulnerable to hacking.

Kaspersky denied the allegation, saying it had no ties to the Russian government.