Moscow-based security company Kaspersky Lab has denied working with Russian intelligence agencies, following US media and government suspicion.
News website Bloomberg said it had seen emails showing Kaspersky had developed tools for Russia’s intelligence agency.
And, on Tuesday, the US government’s General Services Administration removed Kaspersky Lab from a list of approved vendors.
But the company has now insisted it has “no ties to any government”.
Kaspersky Lab is known for its anti-virus software and provides cyber-security products to businesses.
Bloomberg reported it had seen emails between chief executive Eugene Kaspersky and senior Kaspersky staff, outlining a secret cyber-security project apparently requested by the Russian intelligence service FSB.
In the emails Mr Kaspersky describes tools to “protect against attacks” and also engage “active countermeasures”.
Bloomberg suggested that the tools not only deflected cyber-attacks, but also captured information about the hackers launching them, to pass on to Russian intelligence services.
