Advice Request Kaspersky dangerous or not

[Claudio66]

Given that I am not a computer expert but a computer user with basic knowledge, and that I have never caught a virus in my life. I currently have 3 computers in use, one with Eset Nod 32, 1 with kaspersky and last I am testing Trend Micro Internet security.
Without entering politics and addressing war issues that do not interest anyone and respecting the opinions of anyone ... concretely what is the risk for a private computer owner of using Kaspersky?
I read around on the net:
a) your machine can be used to attack other computers in the event of a global attack on the network;
b) b) if Kaspersky were to be attacked by hackers from other countries, your computer and data are at risk;
c) or ?
d) no risk is a trade war.

All I tell all my friends that I have consulted tell me..to rest assured..change antivirus.
I am testing Trend Micro Internet Security and then I will switch to F Secure safe hoping to find a right solution. Bitdefender too heavy for my laptop. Eset is great but I don't like having same antivirus on all computers.
Thanks

 

[M4RT1NE2]

Go ahead and get F-Secure Safe. It has very positive reviews here on the forum. Alternatively ESET

 

[ScandinavianFish]

The risk of using Kaspersky is no greater than any other AV, especially as user data is not actually processed in Russia (unless you actuallu live in Russia)

 

[simbatippe1234]

Hi @Claudio66, you should consider Bitdefender again, I use it, & my specs are not much: 8GB Ram+2.4Ghz, as far as I know, it uses about 300MB in day to day operations.
It is a fantastic AV with very good Virus/Malware capabilities not to mention a Ransomware Remediation module, fantastic UI, and much more to tell but I am not Tech-Savy.
The Pricetag is also great.
30 Days fully functional trial.
Oustanding tech support.
I have used it for 5 years now, never had any infections of any kind, and I browse some shady websites sometimes.
Thanks.

 

[Shadowra]

Hello

I will be able to answer you in a clear and direct way.

I asked Kaspersky for the information during a discussion on a social network. It is true that I was also worried, and this is quite normal.

Kaspersky is a Russian company, but a private one.
Private companies are not subject to the Russian law that requires them to disclose data to the government.
Above all, Kaspersky has security and confidentiality standards, and was recently audited!

Then, if you are in Europe, Kaspersky has moved its servers to Switzerland. If you are North American, it is in Canada.

In short, if you use Kaspersky, you are not at risk at all.
Even if one day Russia is cut off from the world, Kaspersky has so many servers for updates and KSN that you won't notice any difference

 

[Arequire]

Personally I wouldn't have any reservations about using Kaspersky or any other Russian product. The way I see it, the vast majority of individuals would be worthless targets for the Russian intelligence services.
I think it's more likely that people will be forced to ditch Kaspersky due to the company being sanctioned (whether it is or not is another matter) rather than it aiding the FSB in carrying out cyber attacks.

With that said, if I were engaging in activities that are directly opposing the Russian state's interests, then I would absolutely avoid using Russian products or services.

 

[Anthony Qian]

The biggest risk for a private user I could see is that Kaspersky may become less responsive to new threats as a result of declining user bases and KSN participation.

 

[Claudio66]

Thank you all for your answers. I take note.

 

[superleeds27]

Oh another one of these threads!

Edit:
If Kaspersky wasn't an option, or didn't exist. I think I'd probably be looking at F-secure Safe. Seems to constantly perform well in here.

 

[vuksha_xc60]

Given that I am not a computer expert but a computer user with basic knowledge, and that I have never caught a virus in my life. I currently have 3 computers in use, one with Eset Nod 32, 1 with kaspersky and last I am testing Trend Micro Internet security.
Without entering politics and addressing war issues that do not interest anyone and respecting the opinions of anyone ... concretely what is the risk for a private computer owner of using Kaspersky?
I read around on the net:
a) your machine can be used to attack other computers in the event of a global attack on the network;
b) b) if Kaspersky were to be attacked by hackers from other countries, your computer and data are at risk;
c) or ?
d) no risk is a trade war.

All I tell all my friends that I have consulted tell me..to rest assured..change antivirus.
I am testing Trend Micro Internet Security and then I will switch to F Secure safe hoping to find a right solution. Bitdefender too heavy for my laptop. Eset is great but I don't like having same antivirus on all computers.
Thanks

With your reasoning, honestly you should then try to gain more knowledge about computers to be 100% sure what are you doing. That's my friendly advice and how I do.

About what you've read, where are the proofs all of those statements ? If your machine is used to attack the network, you will notice somehow. If any antivirus is attacked ( I guess you mean their servers), your data are in risk. See what avast or Norton are doing (and were doing in the past) and no one really had complaint.

Why is Norton Anti-Virus Becoming a Crypto Mining Botnet?

In the before-times – the heady days of 2017 when the prices of both Bitcoin and Ethereum skyrocketed and seemed immune to gravity – several well-known companies boosted their value by claiming to build new products on the blockchain or to create a solid trustworthy crypto-coin. The trend has...

www.natlawreview.com

Avast says hackers breached internal network through compromised VPN profile

Czech antivirus maker discloses second attack aimed at compromising CCleaner releases.

www.zdnet.com

What I would recommend to you is to get paid version of the antivirus (no matter if it's Kaspersky or not) since you have more control of it's modules.

 

[Aleeyen]

I think Kaspersky can hurt me even if I'm a common man.
Putin will surely try find out how can I cook better than his Chefs.

 

[ForgottenSeer 93475]

find myself sympathizing with Kaspersky because of the great injustice he is subjected to
I was going to say a lot, but @Shadowra he said it all

 

[peterfat11]

I think Kaspersky will hurt me. My PayPal account that has less than 10 dollar in it will surly contribute a lot to the Russia army.

 

[Trooper]

No more dangerous than any other av's. I would have no reservations about using it myself.

 

[franz]

If there is no possibility that the Kremlin can demand the disclosure of data from Kaspersky, why will not Kaspersky answer me this question then? I asked them if this could be a scenario now during the war with Ukraine, but do not get any answer, and I have been waiting a while now. I would stay far away from Kaspersky. It does not help that the program is fantastically good when you can risk becoming an aide to the Kremlin.

 

[ForgottenSeer 93475]

If there is no possibility that the Kremlin can demand the disclosure of data from Kaspersky, why will not Kaspersky answer me this question then? I asked them if this could be a scenario now during the war with Ukraine, but do not get any answer, and I have been waiting a while now. I would stay far away from Kaspersky. It does not help that the program is fantastically good when you can risk becoming an aide to the Kremlin.

Have you tried asking the same question to Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Facebook to see if they answer you?

 

[cofer123]

My take on this matter is that it's not about trustworthiness of Kaspersky that most of us should worry about, but its ability remain a functional product.

I, for one, am not from the US nor do I live in any of those countries Russia recently labeled as "enemies", so like many others I'm not worried about Kaspersky snooping around my life. Google certainly has done that to a far greater extent than Kaspersky would ever manage to. In fact, Kaspersky's track record indicates they have annoyed the powers that be from the US more than once by exposing malware that originated from there, so I seriously doubt the US impartiality towards Kaspersky. Germany banning Kaspersky, on the other hand, had me more interested to hear their reasons for doing so, but since they have also not provided any technical reasons for their stance...

The issue I see here is if Kaspersky can remain good after so many sanctions. Being cutoff from so many markets and kicked out of bug bounty programs are what worries me. Despite Kaspersky Labs competence on AV software development, they need these external resources to strengthen their product. General distrust of their product by everything going on will also lower their market share, gimping their reach even further.

 

[Claudio66]

Thanks again .. and I will try to treasure your ideas. For now I'm testing Trend Micro. After F secure safe. And then..I'will take a decision.

 

[franz]

Have you tried asking the same question to Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Facebook to see if they answer you?

I do not know if your question is seriously meant or just a joke. If it's a joke, I can laugh with you, if it is seriously meant, then I ask you to follow what is happening in the world today, then you will find the answer to your question.

 

[Kaki]

If Kaspersky decides to withdraw funds from your credit card which is linked to your Kaspersky account, what are you doing if it happens ?