The US' biggest electronics giant just cut ties with an elite Russian company believed to be linked to the Kremlin

pulse

September 10, 2017 8:40 AM

Kaspersky has long raised eyebrows in the US intelligence community, especially after Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

Best Buy, the biggest electronics retailer in the US, will stop selling products developed by Russian cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky Labs, in its stores and on its website, Star Tribunereportedon Friday.

Best Buy has been a Kaspersky supplier for over a decade, and the firm's products enjoy a good reputation among the retailer's customers. But according to a source cited by Star Tribune, Best Buy felt there were "too many unanswered questions" about Kaspersky's dealings, which prompted its decision to end its relationship with the firm.

Kaspersky has long raised eyebrows in the US intelligence community and faced increased scrutiny from the US government over its suspected ties to the Kremlin, especially in the wake of Russia's interference in last year's election.

Rob Joyce, President Donald Trump's cybersecurity coordinator, also warned the public against using Kaspersky's products in August.

"I don't use Kaspersky Lab products,"Joyce told CBS News in an interview at the time.

When Joyce was asked whether he would recommend those close to him use Kaspersky's products, he said he would not.

"I worry that as a nation state Russia really hasn't done the right things for this country and they have a lot of control and latitude over the information that goes to companies in Russia," Joyce said. "So I worry about that."

probing

Alex McGeorge, the head of threat intelligence at Immunity Inc.,told Business Insiderin an earlier interview that instead of imposing economic sanctions in response to cyber threats, the US should retaliate against Russia by targeting key players in its cyber industry. The Trump administration's may do just that.

"The intelligence community has come out and said there's internal evidence saying Kaspersky is not playing fair and can't really be trusted," McGeorge said. "It would send a good message and be a clear statement to Russia if the US government responded in kind and took aim exactly at the Russian cyber industry. That's what a deterrent would look like."

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