Kaspersky freezes ties with Europol over calls for EU ban

Russian cybersecurity giant Kaspersky Lab said it has decided to put a halt to its work with several European anti-cybercrime initiatives, following a move in the European Parliament to ban its antivirus software.

The move follows major accusations against the firm, including from the United States, of working hand in hand with the Kremlin.

"Kaspersky Lab has taken the difficult decision to temporarily halt our numerous collaborative European cybercrime-fighting initiatives, including those with Europol," the Moscow-based security firm said in a statement yesterday.

The statement came as the European Parliament issued a report demanding a ban on "malicious" programmes and devices, and singling out Kaspersky Lab.

In its statement, Kaspersky responded: "Although this report has no legislative power it demonstrates a distinct lack of respect for the company which has been a firm friend of Europe in the fight against cybercrime."