Following the ban by the US Department of Commerce earlier this year, Kaspersky has withdrawn its anti-malware software from around 1 million US customers’ devices and replaced it with a new program called UltraAV, owned by American cybersecurity firm Pango [4].
Description
This transition [1] [4], which occurred overnight without notice to some users, has led to frustration over missing settings and file deletions [1]. UltraAV [1] [2] [3] [4] [5], relatively untested compared to Kaspersky [5], has been criticized for deleting files without permission and lacking useful settings [1]. Some users suspect that the automatic replacement of Kaspersky with UltraAV is related to the government restrictions imposed by the Biden administration. Despite assurances from Kaspersky of continued cybersecurity protection and a seamless transition to UltraAV [2], users have expressed concerns over the lack of independent validation for the new antivirus software [1]. Reports have surfaced that Pango and Kaspersky had reached a deal to transfer 1 million users to UltraAV amid the ban [1], which has been in effect since July 20 [1]. Users have opted to replace UltraAV with other alternatives like Bitdefender or ESET [1], with some sharing methods to uninstall the new software, although the effectiveness of these methods remains uncertain [2]. Customers have the option to cancel their UltraAV subscription if unsatisfied with the service, as Kaspersky’s US operations have been shut down and US-based employees have been laid off as a result of the ban [3].
Conclusion
The sudden transition to UltraAV has caused frustration and concerns among users, with reports of missing settings, file deletions [1], and lack of independent validation for the new software. Users have sought alternative antivirus solutions and have the option to cancel their UltraAV subscription if unsatisfied. The implications of this ban and transition on cybersecurity protection and user trust remain to be seen.
References
[1] https://mspoweruser.com/kaspersky-users-have-now-been-migrated-to-ultraav-folks-are-rightfully-complaining/
[2] https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/kaspersky-rolls-back-us-customers-ultraav
[3] https://n-cryptech.com/kaspersky-rolls-back-for-us-customers-makes-way-for-ultraav/
[4] https://news.yahoo.com/news/kaspersky-customers-receive-surprise-forced-191004866.html
[5] https://www.neowin.net/news/kaspersky-users-suddenly-finding-ultraav-automatically-installed-on-their-pc-heres-why/
