As a result of allegations stating that Moscow-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab could be unduly influenced by the Russian government, Best Buy is officially halting sales of any of Kaspersky’s products in their stores. Joe Keenan at Total Retail reported that, “[Best Buy] will allow customers who have purchased the software or who have active subscriptions to exchange it for another product within the next 45 days.”

We’re also seeing the rejection of Kaspersky products at a federal level. According to Fedscoop, “DHS ordered the removal of Kaspersky products from federal networks last week within the next 90 days.”

Federal agencies have been wary of Kaspersky products since a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in May with six major intelligence agencies voicing their concern for the possible damage Kaspersky products could do, given their penetration in both the public and private sectors, explained Andrew Liptak at The Verge.

This is an interesting, pre-emptive move we’re seeing from Best Buy and reflects on their foresight as a retailer. If it is found that Kaspersky has ties to cyberespionage, Best Buy will be lauded as a forward thinker with their consumers’ best interests in mind.

Or could this be seen as a potentially detrimental precaution that could result in diminished profit margins for Best Buy with a damaged relationship with the Kaspersky brand? It appears that Best Buy is choosing to err on the side of caution in this instance.

We’ll be interested to see if other retailers still currently offering the Kaspersky software like Amazon and Walmart will follow suit or if Best Buy will choose to bring those products back to their shelves upon further evaluation of Kaspersky’s intentions.

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