Google removed Kaspersky’s security apps from the Play Store

Google removed Kaspersky ‘s Android security apps from the Play Store and suspended its developer accounts over the weekend.

Over the weekend, all the Android products designed by the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky were removed from the official Google Play in the United States and other countries.

Google also disabled the developer accounts used by the cybersecurity firm.

The Kaspersky employee who goes online with the handle MedvedevUnited confirmed on the company’s official forum that the downloads and updates of Kaspersky products are temporarily unavailable on the Google Play store.

“The downloads and updates of Kaspersky products are temporarily unavailable on the Google Play store.” said MedvedevUnited. “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. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.” 

The Kaspersky employee suggests customers continue downloading and updating Kaspersky products from other mobile stores, including Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery, and Xiaomi GetApps.

In July 2024, Kaspersky announced its exit from the U.S. market following the ban on the sale of its software in the country by the Commerce Department.

In June, the Biden administration announced the ban on the sale of Kaspersky antivirus software due to the risks posed by Russia to U.S. national security. The U.S. government is implementing a new rule leveraging powers established during the Trump administration to ban the sale of Kaspersky software, citing national security risks posed by Russia.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security banned the Russian cybersecurity firm because it is based in Russia.

Government experts believe that the influence of the Kremlin over the company poses a significant risk, reported the Reuters. Russia-linked actors can abuse the software’s privileged access to a computer system to steal sensitive information from American computers or spread malware, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a briefing call with reporters on Thursday.

“Russia has shown it has the capacity and… the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize the personal information of Americans and that is why we are compelled to take the action that we are taking today,” Raimondo said on the call.

This isn’t the first time Western governments have banned Kaspersky, but the Russian firm has always denied any link with the Russian government.

Reuters reported that the U.S. government plans to add three units of the cybersecurity company to a trade restriction list. The move will significantly impact the company’s sales in the U.S. and potentially in other Western countries that may adopt similar restrictions against the security firm.

Google confirmed that it blocked Kaspersky and its products on the Play Store following restrictions imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security.

Below is the statement shared by Google with BleepingComputer:

“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,”

Pierluigi Paganini

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(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Google)