Kaspersky deletes its own software in US to install UltraAV, customers not happy

Moscow-based company Kaspersky has started deleting its own antivirus software and installing UltraAV as an alternative in the United States. Customers aren’t thrilled because they don’t know anything about the new software.

Kaspersky made the announcement of the recent update on its own forum.

“Following the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce that prohibits Kaspersky from selling or updating certain antivirus products in the United States, Kaspersky partnered with antivirus provider UltraAV to ensure continued protection for US-based customers that will no longer have access to Kaspersky’s protection,” the press release states.

Kaspersky says it worked closely with UltraAV to make sure customers would get the same high-level security and privacy they were used to.

To make the transition as seamless as possible, Kaspersky automatically deleted its own antivirus software and replaced it with UltraAV. “This update ensured that users would not experience a gap in protection upon Kaspersky’s exit from the market,” the company explains.

Regardless of Kaspersky’s good intentions, the forced installment of UltraAV came as a surprise to most customers. And they weren’t exactly happy.

“That sounds so fucking sketchy. I don’t like it at all. Feels like a virus, a literal trojan. I’m kind of angry that this shit just appeared on my computer without my permission,” one customer objected on Reddit.

“I woke up and saw this new antivirus system on my desktop and I tried opening Kaspersky, but it was gone. So I had to look up what happened because I was literally having a mini heart attack that my desktop somehow had a virus which uninstalled Kaspersky somehow,” another unsatisfied customer complained.

Others are calling the way Kaspersky acted “an absolute disaster”, saying Kaspersky installed the new antivirus software on their system without their consent. Some of them have removed UltraAV and installed alternative security software, like Bitdefender.

In July, the Biden administration imposed a ban on Kaspersky products. The United States Department of Commerce put Kaspersky on the Entity List, a black list containing the names of companies American enterprises aren’t allowed to conduct business with.

“Russia has shown time and again they have the capability and intent to exploit Russian companies, like Kaspersky Lab, to collect and weaponize sensitive U.S. information, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to safeguard U.S. national security and the American people,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo explained the ban.

Kaspersky promised its US customers six months of free antivirus software before permanently leaving the United States.