WASHINGTON: The United States has banned Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky from providing its antivirus products in the country due to national security concerns, announced the US Commerce Department on Thursday.

Kaspersky will not be able to sell its software or provide updates in the US, marking the first action of its kind.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that Russia's capability and intent to exploit companies like Kaspersky Lab to gather sensitive US information necessitated the ban.

The firm, headquartered in Moscow with operations in 31 countries, serves over 400 million users worldwide.

Additional entities linked to Kaspersky have also been added to a list of companies considered national security threats.

Despite the ban, Kaspersky can continue certain operations, including antivirus updates, until September 29, to minimize disruption for US consumers and businesses.