# Keep Kaspersky or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520 "2022-03-05T15:12:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/1 "2022-03-05T15:12:29Z")
I’ve been a customer for several years, use it on my lap top only. It has certainly been the best anti virus software I’ve used. I’ve been hacked using Windows defender, Norton, mcafee but with K so far so good. I deleted my cc from auto renewal because I’m not sure I want to keep it. I almost authorized their password manager but have yet to agree to terms or privacy so that page always pops up first when I boot up the computer. I just close it. I don’t want my passwords managed by third parties across the globe. Kaspersky users are you still comfortable using it, any recommendations for other anti virus software ? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/2 "2022-03-05T15:22:26Z")
I would dump it. They still have too close ties to Putin & The Kremlin. (to me at least) Windows built-in Anti-Virus falls in the middle of the pack. I use it. Don’t go near McAfee, they’re still terrible. Bitdefender seems to be the highest rated these days. They’re fairly cheap. Avast is probably the best of the free ones, they bought out AVG a few years back. I used AVG for a decade before recently abandoning it. (too many sales messages, there are none with Windows Security) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/3 "2022-03-05T15:46:05Z")
IIRC, I believe @Sunny_Daze claimed some inside information that she could talk about and said not use them. I’ve paged her to see. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/4 "2022-03-05T15:48:20Z")
If the US govt. is afraid to touch it, that’s saying… something. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/5 "2022-03-05T15:58:15Z")
What does it say? I’m afraid I don’t follow. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/6 "2022-03-05T16:36:52Z")
" The [U.S. Department of Homeland Security](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Department_of_Homeland_Security) banned [Kaspersky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspersky_Lab) products from all government departments on 13 September 2017, alleging that Kaspersky Lab had worked on secret projects with Russia’s [Federal Security Service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Security_Service) (FSB). In October 2017, subsequent reports alleged that hackers working for the Russian government stole confidential data from the home computer of a National Security Agency contractor in 2015 via Kaspersky antivirus software. Kaspersky denied the allegations, stating that the software had detected Equation Group [malware](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware) samples which it uploaded to its servers for analysis in its normal course of operation. The company has since announced commitments to increased accountability, such as soliciting independent reviews and verification of its software’s source code, and announcing that it would migrate some of its core infrastructure for foreign customers from Russia to Switzerland." > **[Kaspersky bans and allegations of Russian government ties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspersky_bans_and_allegations_of_Russian_government_ties)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > Kaspersky Lab has faced controversy over allegations that it has engaged with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to use its software to scan computers worldwide for material of interest—ties which the company has actively denied. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security banned Kaspersky products from all government departments on 13 September 2017, alleging that Kaspersky Lab had worked on secret projects with Russia's Federal Security Se... ---
**Author:** ![SomeDeadSinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@SomeDeadSinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeDeadSinger)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/7 "2022-03-05T16:41:39Z")
I work for the state and we haven’t been allowed to use Kaspersky products for a few years now. For personal use, Sophos Home or Malwarebytes coupled with Defender should be pretty effective. Defender does continue to get better. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/8 "2022-03-05T17:05:19Z")
I have been very happy with MalwareBytes. Very easy to use and it has caught some subtle phishing attempts and also unsafe web sites. FWIW a few years ago I talked to one of my employees who had worked at the CIA. I asked about Kaspersky. He said it was a great product, and he would recommend it to private users but not the U.S. government. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/9 "2022-03-05T17:33:20Z")
@bobot covered it very well. We should not be using Kaspersky. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/10 "2022-03-05T17:46:33Z")
We replaced Kaspersky with Trend Micro when that whole thing blew-up, as bobot posted. We’ve been satisfied with TM since then. If I were now in the market for virus protection, I would not be considering Kaspersky at this point. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/11 "2022-03-05T17:47:44Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > He said it was a great product, and he would recommend it to private users but not the U.S. government. This makes sense to me. I’m still using Kaspersky. I don’t want a free product. I don’t mind paying for something that I use that has value. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/12 "2022-03-05T17:56:36Z")
You should seriously considering not using it at all and replacing with any other solid product. Think of it as a boycott if nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/13 "2022-03-05T18:09:11Z")
I had once read that Kaspersky might be more robust against Russian hacks because, as a Russian company, their customers are almost universally being attacked with Russian software. It’s kind of like how Ukraine has an advantage fighting Russia in that they know that their SAM technology was tested on Russian airplanes. That said, I wouldn’t trust Kaspersky since they are actually in Russia. I’d suggest Bitdefender. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/14 "2022-03-05T19:07:22Z")
> [@SomeDeadSinger](#): > > For personal use, Sophos Home or Malwarebytes coupled with Defender should be pretty effective. Defender does continue to get better. > [@snowthx](#): > > We replaced Kaspersky with Trend Micro > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I’d suggest Bitdefender. Excellent suggestions! I browsed the web sites. Interestingly just one Trend Micro has a US HQ in addition to its Tokyo HQ. Also it has a women led management team. Sophos in Oxford UK Bitdefender Bucharest Romania. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/15 "2022-03-05T19:59:22Z")
As I said before in a different thread, Kaspersky has long had a strong reputation as one of the top AV products, and last I saw about a year ago, it still did. My own first-hand experience from many years ago was that Kaspersky was able to identify _ **and remove** _ a virus that another popular product (I think it was Norton at the time) didn’t even detect! I would not, however, buy or renew Kaspersky at this point. One reason is that I refuse to buy any Russian product. Another is that with the current chaos in Russia and their basically being cut off from the world, I would question their ability to maintain their product and their virus signatures simply on the basis that I would question the ability of any Russian company to maintain normal operations under the present conditions. Some good alternative suggestions have been made here. And I agree that among free products, Avast is pretty good. I myself am currently running an enterprise product called Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP). It’s still an excellent product but unfortunately with the sale of Symantec’s enterprise division to Broadcom it seems to be no longer generally available except to existing enterprise customers and its future is uncertain. Which is unfortunate because it’s always been both very effective and relatively lightweight. Note that this is a completely different product from Norton Antivirus, though Symantec once owned them both. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/16 "2022-03-05T20:20:52Z")
same here, I work for a state and they made us dump it. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/17 "2022-03-05T20:48:56Z")
> [@chela](#): > > I’ve been hacked using Windows defender, Norton, mcafee but with K so far so good. Holy crap! Do you spend all your time on the dark web? I’ve never heard of a personal computer being compromised that many times. I was under the impression that most users are never hacked. Right off hand, I can’t think of anyone I know that’s been hacked. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > Windows built-in Anti-Virus falls in the middle of the pack. I don’t know where it falls in the pack, but I’ve been using it for maybe 10+ years? Whenever AVG really went to hell and became a bunch of ads and a resource hog. I use it alongside Malwarebytes and I’ve never had any problems at all. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’m still using Kaspersky. > > I don’t want a free product. I don’t mind paying for something that I use that has value. If you feel you are comfortable enough to switch and learn a new product, I would do as **What\_Exit** suggested, too. Heck, I even gave up Russian porn! (not really, I just watch it on US sites) > [@wolfpup](#): > > I myself am currently running an enterprise product called Symantec Endpoint Protection I can’t remember the last time I saw the name Symantec. I thought they disappeared a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/18 "2022-03-05T21:04:14Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I can’t remember the last time I saw the name Symantec. I thought they disappeared a long time ago. As I mentioned, they sold their enterprise division to Broadcom, which still uses the Symantec name in the product. The remaining part of Symantec which retained the consumer division (Norton) changed its name to Norton Lifelock. So Symantec is still around, though the company name no longer exists. > **[Symantec Enterprise Cloud](https://www.broadcom.com/products/cybersecurity)** > > To meet today's Cyber Security challenges, enterprises need an integrated cyber defense platform that integrates industry-leading solutions and solves for the most pressing C-level challenges like evolving threats, privacy & compliance, and... ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/19 "2022-03-05T21:05:22Z")
Really? @mordecaiB No clue about the dark web, not remotely interested in dark web activities. Porn does not interest me. It’s been years since our old PC was compromised and commandeered to do another’s bidding. Last time was opening a email joke chain from my mIL. Seems eons ago. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520/20 "2022-03-05T22:02:31Z")
> [@chela](#): > > No clue about the dark web, not remotely interested in dark web activities. Porn does not interest me. It’s been years since our old PC was compromised and commandeered to do another’s bidding. Last time was opening a email joke chain from my mIL. Seems eons ago. Sorry, poor joke on my part. I’ve just never heard of someone with that many problems. If it’s been that long since you had a problem, and your problems were with email, it’s probably because email has vastly improved over the last decade+ more than your antivirus program. I’ve been using gmail since it premiered and I have yet to see a piece of spam or virus get near my inbox. If all you do is email and read stuff like the SDMB, just turn on Windows Defender and make sure the firewall is turned on too. Then install Malwarebytes, which is free, but you can buy a fancier version if that makes you more comfortable. Those two running together is more than sufficient for a home computer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-kaspersky-or-not/960520.md?page=2)