Concerned about Kaspersky Antivirus? Here’s what you need to know, if you currently use their software:

Current Events

Germany’s Federal Government just warned businesses in their country to avoid using Kaspersky antivirus software. The concern is that Kaspersky software offers a potential vector for a future IT attack. There is no current threat, only a concern over the future possibility of one.

This is not a new concern. In 2017, the United States government expressed similar concerns over Kaspersky products, and banned Kaspersky software from all government departments.

Dig further and the history of the US Government and Kaspersky gets more sordid and confusing. More questions are raised than are answered. Is this simply the rise of anti-Russian sentiments, or are there legitimate threats to beware here?

If You Choose to Stop Using Kaspersky

Kaspersky Antivirus is a top-rated protection software. But if you feel the need to move on to something else, by all means do so! There are so many highly-rated antiviruses out there, and I commonly recommend people try out the built-in Microsoft Defender (Windows) or XProtect (MacOS) for free. Just uninstall your current Kaspersky programs and the built-in protections should kick in automagically.

If you have any trouble or errors while uninstalling Kaspersky software, don’t fret! there is a specific tool to use, if you need advanced help removing Kaspersky’s antivirus.

But many commercial antiviruses sign their users up for automatic renewal. You may want to check the Kaspersky website, and log into your customer account, to check this. Turn off any renewal options, lest Kaspersky charge you for something you’re not using.

If you’ve recently paid for Kaspersky, you are allowed to ask for a refund within 30 days of purchase. Contact Kaspersky Support from the options at the bottom of this page for that.