The Russian cybersecurity company has been long suspected of ties with the Kremlin.

Kaspersky's antivirus software has been removed from Google's Play Store following the U.S. government's sanctions against the Russian cybersecurity company. Google terminated Kaspersky's developer accounts and blocked the distribution of its apps, citing recent U.S. Department of Commerce restrictions.

Google confirmed the decision in a statement for the Beeping Computer magazine: “The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security recently announced a variety of restrictions on Kaspersky. As a result, we have removed Kaspersky’s apps from Google Play.”

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Kaspersky addressed users on this issue – which it called “temporary” – on its forum page.

“The downloads and updates of Kaspersky products are temporarily unavailable on the Google Play store. Kaspersky is currently investigating the circumstances behind the issue and exploring potential solutions to ensure that users of its products can continue downloading and updating their applications from Google Play,” the cybersecurity company said.

Users began reporting the disappearance of Kaspersky apps like "Kaspersky Endpoint Security" and "VPN & Antivirus by Kaspersky" in late September.

Kaspersky attributed this to an "overinterpretation" of the U.S. restrictions, emphasizing that its software can still be distributed outside the U.S. and advising users to download the apps from alternative platforms like the Galaxy Store, Xiaomi GetApps, and Huawei AppGallery.

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Google linked the measure to restrictions imposed on Kaspersky by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security in June. The U.S. government’s concerns center around potential national security risks, leading Kaspersky to shut down its U.S. operations in July. In an unusual move, Kaspersky also replaced its antivirus software on U.S. computers with UltraAV’s solution without notifying users in advance, further intensifying scrutiny.

Though Kaspersky's products are unavailable on Google Play, users can still access them via direct downloads from Kaspersky’s website or other app stores. The company is exploring solutions to reinstate its apps on Google's platform.

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The U.S. government has banned Kaspersky Lab, Inc. from selling its products in the United States because of the company’s alleged links to the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin by serving the interests of the FSB, giving American consumers and businesses time to switch to alternative cybersecurity solutions till 29 September 2024.

The sanction derives from executive orders of former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden as a measure to protect the personal data of US citizens from nations designated as "foreign adversaries" to the United States.

Kaspersky has denied any links with the Kremlin or Russian intelligence or security agencies.

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The company was founded in 1997 in Russia and is headquartered in Moscow, with regional offices in Dubai, London, Istanbul, Mexico City, Midrand (South Africa), Sao Paolo, Singapore, and Woburn (USA). It’s one of the leading computer software security company in the world.

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