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The U.S. Commerce Department’s prohibition on covered Kaspersky transactions took effect in stages: new covered agreements were barred beginning July 20, 2024, and covered transactions—including antivirus updates—were prohibited beginning September 29, 2024. The government urged U.S. customers to move to another provider, but said continued use of already-installed Kaspersky products would not itself bring users legal penalties under the determination. Kaspersky disputed the government’s rationale and announced a U.S. wind-down.
What the U.S. ban covered—and when it took effect
On June 20, 2024, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a Final Determination covering Kaspersky Lab, Inc., its affiliates, subsidiaries and parent companies. It applied to specified cybersecurity and antivirus products and services supplied in whole or in part by Kaspersky, including products integrated into third-party offerings. The rule restricted covered transactions with U.S. persons; it was not a general law making possession of Kaspersky software a crime.
| Date and time | Effect under the determination |
|---|---|
| July 20, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT | Kaspersky could no longer enter new covered agreements with U.S. persons. |
| September 29, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT | Covered transactions were prohibited, including antivirus signature and codebase updates and operation of Kaspersky Security Network for U.S. persons. Covered resale, integration, and licensing for resale or integration were also barred. |
The September 29 date is the legal effective date in the Federal Register determination. Kaspersky’s July 18 statement described its update cutoff as starting September 30; that was the company’s wording, not the date specified in the determination.
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BIS said its investigation found national-security risks that could not be addressed through mitigation short of prohibition. Its assessment focused on the possibility that Russian government jurisdiction or direction could expose Kaspersky to pressure; the software’s broad administrative access to customer information and potential transfer of data to Russia; and the ability, in principle, to install malicious software or selectively deny updates. BIS also cited risks in third-party integrations where the source code might not be known.
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These were the U.S. government’s risk findings, not proof that Kaspersky had carried out each feared action. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo framed the decision as a response to what she called Russia’s capability and intent to exploit Russian companies to collect and weaponize sensitive U.S. information. BIS described Kaspersky as serving more than 200 countries and territories, with over 400 million users and 270,000 corporate clients globally; those are worldwide figures, not U.S. customer counts. See the BIS announcement and the Federal Register determination.
How Kaspersky responded
Kaspersky said it had stopped U.S. sales contracts ahead of the July 20 restriction, would wind down U.S. operations and eliminate U.S.-based positions, and would fulfill existing obligations until the applicable cutoff. The company rejected the Commerce Department’s decision, saying it was based on geopolitical conditions rather than an evaluation of product integrity. Those are Kaspersky’s statements about its response and its disagreement with the government; they do not change the dates or scope in the determination. Read the company’s July 18 statement.
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Which services were excepted
The determination excluded transactions involving Kaspersky Threat Intelligence, Kaspersky Security Training, and consulting or advisory services when they were purely informational or educational. Listed examples included SOC Consulting, Security Consulting, Ask the Analyst, and Incident Response. Kaspersky likewise said certain informational, educational, consulting and advisory offerings would remain available in the U.S. market. The exception is limited to those described services; it is not a blanket exemption for antivirus or cybersecurity software.
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Continued use and legal penalties
BIS encouraged individuals and businesses using Kaspersky to transition to new vendors to reduce exposure of sensitive information and avoid a potential loss of cybersecurity coverage. At the same time, BIS stated that users who continued using existing Kaspersky products and services would not face legal penalties under the Final Determination. That distinction concerns penalties under this determination; it does not mean updates or other covered transactions remained permitted after the effective date.
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Reported move to UltraAV
Axios reported on September 5, 2024, that Pango was acquiring Kaspersky’s U.S. antivirus customers and that they would transition to Pango’s UltraAV brand. Axios cited Pango president and COO Neill Feather’s estimate of roughly one million users and said customers would be notified by email. This report does not establish what happened to any particular account, device, billing arrangement, consent, or support status. Check directly with the relevant provider for current account details. Axios’s report covers the announced transition.
Uninstalling, refunds, and business questions
BIS links to software-removal guidance for both individuals and enterprises and addresses uninstalling, alternatives, refunds, continued use, and business issues in its Kaspersky case page and FAQ. Refund eligibility is not guaranteed by the determination; check the applicable contract and provider terms.
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How to choose a replacement
BIS encouraged customers to seek suitable alternatives but did not endorse a named replacement vendor in the cited guidance. Compare providers against the devices and operational needs you actually have:
- Device and operating-system support: Confirm compatibility with every computer, phone, or server that needs protection.
- Updates and support: Check whether security updates and customer support will continue for your chosen product and plan.
- Features: Match consumer or business capabilities to your needs rather than assuming products are interchangeable.
- Business deployment: For organizations, review centralized administration, deployment, and integration requirements.
- Third-party products: Inventory white-labeled or integrated offerings that may contain Kaspersky components; the determination expressly addressed integration and resale.
For personal devices, verify the replacement is active and receiving updates before relying on it. For an organization, identify affected endpoints and integrated products, coordinate deployment with IT or security staff, and confirm coverage after migration.
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