Kaspersky beginning transition of U.S. users to UltraAV

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bazang

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Jul 3, 2024
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I like this comment that was just posted (as far as partnership). Why would Kaspersky "pawn us off" to this little-known and unvetted company, at least regarding a lack of history of AV protection videos and ratings? Are they the only ones who would take the Kaspersky users on, or was Kaspersky worried about (or logistically) transferring our licenses to someone like ESET, or to a different US company like McAfee, or Gen Digital (Norton) and wanted to use a US company just to help soothe the US consumers, in using that product?

If there were some back-room partnership (commission?) I could see that as far as from Kaspersky's end but are we going to pay the price for that (lack luster security), unless Shadowra comes up with some stellar results in his upcoming review, it could just add more fuel to the fire.
UltraAV is a product line owned by The Pango Group. The Pango Group was just spun-off from AURA. The UltraAV scan engine is a white-label version of MaxSecure.

All three organizations and the people behind them are very well known in the security software industry. They provide products and services (especially white-label) to companies such as Kaspersky.

The Kaspersky VPN is a white-label rebranded HotSpot Shield owned by the The Pango Group and formerly the AURA Security Group. Did you think Kaspersky software is comprised of only software it develops internally? Nope. That is not how Kaspersky works nor the greater security software industry works.

Eugene Kaspersky had been doing business with the people at the AURA Group and The Pango Group for decades. That is why he chose their business proposal.

If there were some back-room partnership (commission?)
There is no back-room partnership. Kaspersky has always had a partnership with these different entities and the people running them. They have sold him products and services that he incorporated into his Kaspersky branded products.

Eugene Kaspersky and Kaspersky company are only prohibited from selling the Kaspersky brand software to US citizens. They are still allowed to conduct other business within the US, including partnerships.

Eugene Kaspersky is on-record publicly expressing his disdain of companies such as Norton, Bitdefender, Avira, etc. He would never transition former Kaspersky subscribers to these companies' products.
 

harlan4096

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Kaspersky for Android is gone from Google Play and Samsung Galaxy Store, worldwide:
Is Kaspersky blocked / removed from Google Play?

You also cannot find the browser extension for on the Chrome Web Store:
No more Kaspersky browser extensions for the rest of the world?
1727598216825.png


 

Captain Awesome

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cofer123

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Sep 7, 2021
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Reports on Reddit that US users that bought their licenses through the Kaspersky Global site (instead of the American one) are still receiving updates normally even after the ban.

 
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TairikuOkami

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Reports on Reddit that US users that bought their licenses through the Kaspersky Global site (instead of the American one) are still receiving updates normally even after the ban.
They must be some smart users, self reporting themselves for breaking the law and supporting enemy of the state, NSA will love them, in jail. :ROFLMAO:
 

bazang

Level 7
Jul 3, 2024
337
They must be some smart users, self reporting themselves for breaking the law and supporting enemy of the state, NSA will love them, in jail. :ROFLMAO:
Under the Executive Order that bans Kaspersky software, there are no civil or criminal penalties for those that continue to use Kaspersky in defiance of the ban.

However, should anyone be determined to be "Patient 0" in any Russian or other nation-state abuse of Kaspersky software on their system that leads to serious damage elsewhere, then that person might be held both criminally culpable and civilly liable.
 

cofer123

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Sep 7, 2021
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Kaspersky Is Shutting Down Its London Office And Laying Off Staff Following US Shutdown And Sale Ban
The cybersecurity industry has been dealt another blow as Kaspersky announced the closure of its UK office and subsequent layoffs, just months after similar measures were taken in the US.


In a statement to TechCrunch, Kaspersky spokesperson Francesco Tius confirmed that the company would be closing its UK office and transitioning its business to a partner-based approach.



"This step will enable our company to harness available business opportunities in the UK market in a more efficient manner, strengthening overall business prosperity," Tius said in an email.


The UK Office Closure: Another Blow To Kaspersky's Global Presence​


"Our customers and partners in the UK will maintain full access to the company's European team and its strong and well-established partner network, through which we will continue distributing Kaspersky's industry-leading cybersecurity products and services," the statement continued.


According to Tius, the London office has less than 50 employees. Kaspersky's decision to close its UK operations is the latest in a string of adverse developments for the company, which has long been accused of having close connections to the Russian government — allegations it has consistently denied.


The UK's decision to warn government officials against using Kaspersky software in 2017 has had lasting consequences for the company, culminating in the closure of its UK operations. In the same year, Kaspersky CEO Eugene Kaspersky extended an offer to the US government to collaborate fully to dispel any lingering suspicions about the potential for espionage within its antivirus software.



The June US ban on Kaspersky products devastated the company's operations, resulting in significant job losses and the closure of offices. The sales ban compelled Kaspersky to abandon the US market entirely, leading to a partnership with a newly formed antivirus company.


This transition resulted in the transfer of its US customer base to the newly established UltraAV. To the surprise of many Kaspersky customers, the transition involved a forced uninstallation of the Kaspersky software from Windows computers and its subsequent replacement with UltraAV.


Kaspersky justified the controversial forced uninstallation by asserting that it had provided adequate notice to its customers, although it did not explicitly seek their consent for the software switch.


Kaspersky's products were removed from Google Play on October 7. The company explained this decision in a blog post and outlined alternative installation and update methods for Android devices.



Google's Delisting: A Preemptive Strike Against Kaspersky​


"We've recently been informed by the Google Play store that our developer account has been terminated, and all Kaspersky apps have been removed from the store."

"Google's decision refers to recent US government actions restricting the distribution and sales of Kaspersky products in the United States after September 29," the company explained.

The Kaspersky Team noted that Google's decision to remove Kaspersky products from Google Play was a preemptive response to recent US government restrictions on distributing and selling Kaspersky products within the United States, effective after September 29.

While these restrictions have no direct legal impact outside the US, Google unilaterally delisted Kaspersky products, denying users worldwide access to our industry-leading cybersecurity solutions.

Kaspersky asserted that Google's decision was based on a misinterpretation of the US restrictions, which lacked confirmation from the US Department of Commerce. The company emphasised that the restrictive measures do not impede the sale and distribution of Kaspersky products and services outside the United States.

"We have communicated this understanding to the US Department of Commerce, and we hope to receive additional guidance from the Department shortly," the Kaspersky Team confirmed. The Kaspersky team also addressed the fate of existing Kaspersky apps on Android devices.

"Apps that were installed from Google Play will continue to work normally and receive database updates through our cloud infrastructure. All paid app features will also continue to work," the Team explained. "Unfortunately, you won't be able to update or reinstall an app directly from Google Play."
 

cruelsister

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Reports on Reddit that US users that bought their licenses through the Kaspersky Global site (instead of the American one) are still receiving updates normally even after the ban.
Although I don't have any first hand knowledge on that, I think that is is unlikely as kaspersky Cloud is not accessible from a USA IP address. An example would be KVRT which will alert to be updated ever other day (or so). From anywhere other than the US the update will redirect to the update page, whereas in the USA one will get either a 403 Forbidden error or else on attempted scan a:

2024-10-10 08_08_22-xplorer² LITE - D__1.png
 

tofargone

Level 4
Jun 24, 2024
196
Don't want to be subversive,. but I just have to ask...

Is there a way, as a US citizen to use Kaspersky (to download, install, and use), and what will happen if you do ?
 

tofargone

Level 4
Jun 24, 2024
196
Comment from Reddit concerning kaspersky users in USA:

Yes, it's safe. It's widely believed that the ban on Kaspersky stems from political retaliation rather than genuine security concerns.
 
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tofargone

Level 4
Jun 24, 2024
196
Looks like US users are doing the following for updates:

You can also add update servers from different regions to the updater segment of kaspersky without a VPN. I did this and it works great again. If you're running Kaspersky Premium, follow these steps:

Pick a server from the official list here from different regions: Kaspersky update servers

Go to Security > Look at Anti-Virus Database Update Panel > Cogwheel (settings) icon > Select Update Sources > Add > Paste URL into Path textbox > Save

You can make the vanilla config last priority by moving it down.
 

tofargone

Level 4
Jun 24, 2024
196
Other posts concerning updates:

Trick for now: Using my normal VPN to outside the USA works fine for updates. BUT ALSO the internal free built-into-the program Kaspersky VPN (EVEN if the direct VPN site it says it connects to is in the USA) also seems to currently work for Kaspersky definition updates (I guess there may be some non-US component to Kaspersky's own VPN).

I get updates without having to use a VPN on computer, phone, or router.

So far, the people I've seen on this sub who are still receiving updates bought their activation codes via global licenses, or the Kaspersky site.

I also did this which may be helping me:

Kaspersky main menu; choose Security. Choose the option wheel. Choose "Update Sources". Input a second backup source from Kaspersky update servers - say type in http://dnl-06.geo.kaspersky.com (Kaspersky update server in Mexico City vs the standard US default). Save.
 

Jonny Quest

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Well the ip/ (ttp://dnl-07.geo.kaspersky.co) doesn't work for me, but the Kaspersky VPN gives updates.
And IMO, it sounds like it would be a headache to try to keep Kaspersky updating, running properly and consistently, using a VPN or the other work arounds. To much hand holding, I personally, would be moving on to something else :)
 
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