Kaspersky is blacklisted by the German government, which warns citizens not to use the anti-virus software from Russia.
The warning comes as German cybersecurity authorities say using Kaspersky's anti-virus products risk being spied on or used to carry out cyberattacks by Russia.
This is not the first time Kaspersky has been accused of having ties to the Russian government. Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder of Kaspersky Lab, said the accusations surfaced immediately after he got his first client in the United States.
The accusation, complete with the sanctions, was re-imposed on Kaspersky in July 2017. That is when the Donald Trump administration removed the name Kaspersky Lab from the vendor list for the purchase of technology devices to be used by government agencies.
The reason is that it is feared that Kapersky's security products could be the pathway used by the Kremlin to enter networks in the US. Eugene vehemently denied this allegation, who stated that Kaspersky had no ties to the Russian government, especially with regard to illegal activities such as aiding in cyber attacks and cyber espionage to the US.
Eugene did work for the Russian military, and even his education at the Institute of Cryptography, Telecommunications and Computer Science was sponsored by the KGB, Russia's intelligence agency.
At the age of 16, Eugene enrolled in a five-year program at the school which later changed its name to the Technical Faculty of KGB Higher School after the split of the Soviet Union.
Graduates from these schools are indeed prepared to become intelligence officers, either in the Russian military or the KGB. Eugene graduated in 1987 with a degree in mathematical engineering and computer technology.
After graduating he of course joined the Russian military intelligence agency, as a software engineer. But until now it is not known what he actually did while working at the intelligence agency.
"It was a top secret, so I don't remember it," Eugene said, quoted by Wired.
In 1989, he became interested in studying viruses to the point of addiction. He likes to learn about virus attacks and how the codes work. His friend told him that Eugene could sit in front of a computer for 20 hours just looking for a virus.
In the early 1990s, Eugene wanted to leave the military so he could find the virus full time. But it's not easy to do, it's almost impossible. "Unless you go to jail, get sick or prove you are completely incompetent," he said.
Well, there's a professor at the institute of cryptography who owns a company that sells everything from shoes to PCs. Somehow, the professor was able to help him get out of the military and recruit him. Kaspersky joined the company with his wife Natalya and his friend, De Mont De Rique.
In 1997, the three figures decided to create their own antivirus company with the name Kaspersky. Companies that have advanced software. They, for example, are among the first to have a virus database and perform malware quarantine.
The young company grew rapidly even though Eugene and Natalya divorced in 1998. But the ex-wife remained in the company and handled the finances. And Eugene worked even harder.
Thus, hard work, intelligence combined with luck made Kaspersky one of the world's top antivirus companies. And Eugene became rich. The wealth of the 56-year-old man in 2017 was estimated at USD 1.3 billion.