Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab has expanded its relationship with global law enforcement agency Interpol, signing an agreement to share data to help fight cyber crime.
“The legal framework is designed to facilitate and develop cooperation between Kaspersky Lab and Interpol by sharing threat intelligence data on the latest cybercriminal activities, wherever they appear,” Kaspersky said Thursday in a press release.
The announcement comes as Kaspersky faces intense scrutiny after the U.S. federal government banned the use of its products in September amid concerns of Russian hacking.
On Oct. 10, Israeli intelligence said Russian government hackers were using Kaspersky's anti-virus program for espionage.
The cybersecurity firm issued an immediate rebuttal to the allegations: “Kaspersky Lab was not involved in and does not possess any knowledge of the situation in question, and the company reiterates its willingness to work alongside U.S. authorities to address any concerns they may have about its products as well as its systems.”
News agency Reuters reported that it has been unable to validate the Israeli intelligence claims, citing Kaspersky's repeated statements that it has not helped Russia or any other country snoop on computers.
The Kremlin also dismissed the allegations, with presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it “absurd.”