The move is designed to address customer fears that the Kremlin may be able to access data which is stored in Russia.

Kaspersky Lab is moving its core infrastructure from Russia to Switzerland after reports that the Kremlin used the company's anti-virus software to steal classified US information.

The move will cost the company around $12m (£8.8m) and will relocate its core business away from the jurisdiction of the Russian government and intelligence agencies by the end of 2019.

More than a data centre in Switzerland, the move of Kapersky Lab's software build conveyor - where its products are assembled from source code - will see the programming tools which could allow access to users' computers available for independent audit.

Although the company has vigorously denied claims its software was used by Russian intelligence to steal data from a National Security Agency employee's home computer, the publicity damage has left it working to address customer fears in a global transparency initiative.

The New York Times cited "multiple people who have been briefed on the matter" in a report that claimed Israeli intelligence discovered Russian counterparts were using the company's anti-virus software to steal American hacking tools.

That report and another in The Wall Street Journal followed a directive issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which prohibited use of the firm's software for all federal agencies - although countries such as Germany have stated that they did not support the American claims.

The ban is understood to have significantly damaged Kaspersky Lab's business in America, where a large proportion of staff have left the company according to reports.