Recorded Future CEO applauds "undesirable" designation by Russia

​Recorded Future, an American threat intelligence company, has become the first cybersecurity firm designated by the Russian government as an "undesirable" organization.

The Russian authorities effectively banned all Recorded Future activity in the country by tagging the company "undesirable," a label Russia introduced almost a decade ago to describe Western NGOs.

Russia's Prosecutor General's Office said in a Wednesday press release that the company (tagged as a foreign non-governmental organization) was banned because it provides technical support and information for Western propaganda campaigns targeting Russia.

"RF employees provide services for searching, processing and analyzing data, including in the closed segment of the Internet," the Russian authorities said today.

"They specialize in cyber threats, actively interact with the CIA and intelligence services of other countries. They provide information and technical support for the propaganda campaign launched by the West against Russia."

Additionally, Recorded Future is also accused of providing Ukraine with data on Russian army activity and the tools needed to launch cyberattacks against Russian entities and assets. 

"The organization participates in collecting and analyzing data on the actions of the Russian Armed Forces. Provides Ukrainian specialists with free access to programs used to prepare and conduct offensive information operations against Russia," Russia's Prosecutor General's Office added.

While the company has not published an official statement in response to Russia's sanctions, Recorded Future CEO Christopher Ahlberg applauded the "undesirable" status assigned to the "non-governmental organization" he leads, saying that "Some things in life are rare compliments. This being one."

Recorded Future, self-described as "the world's largest threat intelligence company," has a customer list of over 1,900 businesses and government organizations from over 75 countries. 

In September, the cybersecurity company announced that it was being acquired by payments giant Mastercard for $2.65 billion.

A Recorded Future spokesperson was not immediately available for comment when contacted by BleepingComputer earlier today.