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FBI Questions U.S. Workers Of Russian Cyberfirm Kaspersky Lab


Kaspersky Lab said in a statement that it is being "accused without any hard evidence to back up these false allegations."
Kaspersky Lab said in a statement that it is being "accused without any hard evidence to back up these false allegations."

The FBI has interviewed several U.S.-based employees of the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab as part of its investigation into the company's operations.

FBI agents reportedly visited the homes of Kaspersky employees late on June 27 in several U.S. cities and had "brief interactions" with them, though no search warrants were served, Reuters reported.

Kaspersky Lab said in a statement that it is being "accused without any hard evidence to back up these false allegations."

It added that the company has "never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyberespionage efforts" but that it will assist "government organizations with any ongoing investigations."

The FBI did not comment on the reports, which come one day after dozens of entities around the world were hit with a massive ransomware cyberattack.

Kaspersky Lab said about a dozen of its employees were interviewed by FBI agents on June 27.

The contacts between the FBI and Kaspersky employees follow testimony by U.S. government officials last month before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee that the government's use of software from Kaspersky Lab is being reviewed.

That testimony came after U.S. lawmakers said they were concerned that Russian officials could use Kaspersky products to attack computer networks in the United States.

Eugene Kaspersky, founder of the company and its CEO, said in an interview on Reddit that he is willing to appear before a Senate committee to discuss any concerns about Kaspersky's products.

Kaspersky, who lives in Moscow and is one of Russia's richest men, previously worked for the Russian military and has often been accused of using his company to help the Russian government interests. He has called the accusations "Cold War paranoia."

With reporting by Reuters
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