Kaspersky Lab to Exit U.S. Market: Offers Free Licenses to American Users Amid Shutdown

In response to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security's new regulations, Kaspersky Lab has announced a significant change in its operations within the United States. Starting from July 20, the company is prohibited from signing new contracts in the U.S. market, and by the end of September, it must cease all software and virus database updates for its U.S. clientele.

Initially poised to challenge these restrictions through legal avenues, Kaspersky Lab has now decided to cease its fight. The company is in the process of disbanding its U.S. subsidiary's workforce and shutting down operations. This decision was disclosed on Kaspersky's U.S. official website, accompanied by a gesture of goodwill towards its American users: a six-month free license for antivirus and malware removal tools for Windows, starting immediately and running until January 2025.

However, from September 2024, Kaspersky will no longer provide software and virus database updates, posing a significant security risk for users who opt to continue using the software. Users would need to manually download and import virus database files from Kaspersky's official website, a process that could potentially leave security gaps due to outdated databases.

Kaspersky's withdrawal from the U.S. market is a direct consequence of the Commerce Department's mandates, leading to significant business losses for the company. Nevertheless, Kaspersky has issued reminders for users to regularly back up important data, be wary of phishing links, and use complex, regularly updated passwords to mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks and data breaches.