Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has uninstalled its popular antivirus software from U.S. users' computers, automatically replacing it with a completely different program from completely different company UltraAV. Kaspersky customers are not happy.
Rolled out in an update on Sept. 19, Kaspersky's unilateral swapping of users to UltraAV quickly garnered many confused and upset reactions online. Numerous people took to social media to complain about UltraAV being automatically installed on their computer without their consent, as well as express dissatisfaction at how the transition was handled. Some even voiced suspicion regarding the unfamiliar antivirus software, speculating that it was malware and demanding to know how to uninstall it.
Yet despite customers' complaints, Kaspersky's handoff to UltraAV didn't come entirely out of the blue.
Kaspersky had already announced plans to pull out of the U.S. earlier this year after the Russian cybersecurity company was banned from continuing to operate in the country. As such, Kaspersky informed U.S. customers at the beginning of the month that while they would still receive cybersecurity protection under their paid subscription, these services would now be provided by its U.S.-based partner UltraAV.
"In the coming days, you will be receiving communications from UltraAV with instructions on how to activate your new account," wrote Kaspersky in messages that began rolling out on Sept. 5. "We're confident that you'll enjoy the enhanced protection and features UltraAV offers."
Unfortunately, at least some customers claim they never received this notification or weren't provided with the promised follow-up instructions.
In a statement to Mashable, UltraAV's parent company Pango Group said that "all [Kaspersky] users with valid email addresses received direct communications and all users had access to transition notifications in-app, on MyKaspersky account pages, and via Kaspersky Labs' webpages."
Responding to the uproar on Saturday, Kaspersky and UltraAV issued a joint statement explaining that their aim had been to make the transition "as seamless as possible."
"Kaspersky and UltraAV worked closely to ensure customers would maintain the standards of security and privacy users have come to expect from their service," read the statement. "This update ensured that users would not experience a gap in protection upon Kaspersky’s exit from the market."
UltraAV has also been attempting to quell apprehension about its product.
"UltraAV is a mature technology, developed and improved for more than 20 years," Pango Group told Mashable. "It incorporates the latest threat intelligence and leverages advanced techniques including AI and sophisticated heuristics to detect malware. With Ultra AV, users will receive comparable protections to those they had with [Kaspersky] at the same pricing."
Even so, UltraAV isn't a perfect one-to-one substitute for Kaspersky. UltraAV does have a few added features that Kaspersky didn't offer, such as notifying you when your social security number is used, monitoring "high-risk transactions" such as password resets, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. However, unlike Kaspersky, UltraAV does not provide webcam or online payment protection, features many customers will no doubt miss.
Why is Kaspersky uninstalling antivirus software from U.S. computers?
Kaspersky is being forced to exit the U.S. market after the government banned it from providing its services to anyone within the country, citing national security concerns about the Russian cybersecurity giant. Though announced in June, the ban is set to take effect from Sept. 29 to allow customers time to find alternative antivirus solutions.
In a press release at the time, the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) claimed that Kaspersky posed a risk to national security "due to the Russian Government’s offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kaspersky’s operations."
"[This risk] could not be addressed through mitigation measures short of a total prohibition," the BIS wrote.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission had previously labelled Kaspersky an "unacceptable risk to national security" in 2022, while federal agencies were banned from using its antivirus software in 2017.
Kaspersky has consistently argued that its U.S. ban is unconstitutional and politically motivated, claiming that there is no evidence it is a national security threat. Nonetheless, it began winding down its U.S. operations on July 20, including dismissing employees based in America.
"To respond to the U.S. authorities’ concerns, the company has proposed a comprehensive assessment framework providing for the verification of its solutions, database updates, [and] threat detection rules by an independent trusted reviewer," Kaspersky wrote in a July statement regarding the ban.
"Therefore, Kaspersky maintains that the U.S. Department of Commerce decision was based on the geopolitical climate rather than on the evaluation of the integrity of the company’s solutions and deprives U.S. users and companies of best in class protection."
Kaspersky's arguments are similar to those TikTok has mounted in the face of its own U.S. ban. The U.S. government has also accused TikTok of posing a threat to national security, claiming that the popular video sharing app is controlled by a "foreign adversary" due to its Chinese parent company ByteDance. TikTok is currently fighting its high-profile ban in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, where it's no doubt hoping for a better outcome than Kaspersky.
UPDATE: Sep. 26, 2024, 11:44 a.m. AEST This article has been updated with comment from UltraAV parent company Pango Group.
Topics Cybersecurity
