Kaspersky Launches Its Free Antivirus Software Worldwide (engadget.com) 142
Kaspersky has finally launched its free antivirus software after a year-and-a-half of testing it in select regions. From a report: While the software was only available in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, China and in Nordic countries during its trial run, Kaspersky is releasing it worldwide. The free antivirus doesn't have VPN, Parental Controls and Online Payment Protection its paid counterpart offers, but it has all the essential features you need to protect your PC. It can scan files and emails, protect your PC while you use the web and quarantine malware that infects your system. The company says the software isn't riddled with advertisements like other free antivirus offerings. Instead of trying to make ad money off your patronage, Kaspersky will use the data you contribute to improve machine learning across its products. The free antivirus will be available in the US, Canada and most Asia-Pacific countries over the next couple of days, if it isn't yet. After this initial release, the company will roll it out in other regions from September to November.
"Free" (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: "Free" (Score:2)
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Sure, but it is FREE cyberespionage!
It's free because you are the product. Or at least that's usually the applied logic of free software.
If you are the product, what kind of product are you to a Russian security firm?
I don't know I want to know the answer... although your FREE Cyber Espionage probably tells the story.
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Re: "Free" (Score:1)
Re: "Free" (Score:2)
Pretty much all the software I use is free software. I don't feel like the product. I feel empowered to learn, create, and change. Sheesh... ;-)
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I prefer Kaspersky to systemd.
If Kaspersky is screwing me over, it at least has the decency to do it without ruining stuff.
LK
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Since the operating system is written by a company that colludes with the United States, who is actively engaged in cyberwarfare, it stands to reason that a foreign adversary would have the most interest in securing it.
Either way, Windows users are pawns. If you don't trust anybody with your computing, may I suggest learning how to program and using only open source software? That's what I did.
I'll bet you haven't reviewed the source code of all the open source software you are using.
Also, have you confirmed your hardware hasn't been compromised?
Re: "Free" (Score:2)
Maybe I haven't reviewed all the open source code that euns on my systems, but I think the point is that there's a better chance that *someone* / *more people* have, than with closed source software.
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That's why everyone should be running external firewalls that block all outgoing traffic unless you specifically allow it.
You can't stop all the spyware, but you can stop it from phoning home.
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That's why it needs to be an external firewall. The systems behind the firewall don't have privileged access, and they are no more (or less) capable of subverting it than systems outside the firewall.
If I use this... (Score:2, Troll)
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I will then have "links to Kremlin-associated Russian bankers."
Hey man, can I borrow a dime? I gotta make a phone call
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Re: If I use this... (Score:1)
EVERY x president does speaking engagements for money. It is not unique to obama. Jesus Christ. This is how they get rich.
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Re: If I use this... (Score:2)
Obama isn't married to Hillary Clinton.
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you TOO will have Russian ties
Well, as long as they don't clash with my Italian suit...
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Can you make that into a haiku instead?
I'll give it a go. Wouldn't it make more sense for Japan though?
Putin is all good.
The media is evil,
Fake news- bad, Comrade!
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If I use this free product, does it mean I will have "ties to Russia?" I'm sure that if I actually pay for their more advanced product, I will then have "links to Kremlin-associated Russian bankers." I don't want to get in trouble with the New York Times.
As long as you're not committing treason by conspiring with a foreign power to influence an election at home then you're not doing anything wrong. Or if you're not making foreign policy decisions whilst not the elected leader.
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That new information is then shared with security experts and OS makers around the world.
To detect changes to normal OS by governments/mil what is normal and what is been altered has to be understood.
A larger global pool of users helps track in real time what a normal OS looks like and what slight changes could be the first detection of new gov/mil malware activity.
How good is it compared to... (Score:5, Interesting)
[ ] Bitdefender Free
[ ] AVAST Free
[ ] AVG Free
[ ] Sophos Home (free)
In other words, is there a reason for me to install Kaspersky instead of Sophos or Bitdefender, which I both used in the past? (If you reply, please do NOT mention anything about US politics or Russia - thank you!)
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[ ] Bitdefender Free
[ ] AVAST Free
[ ] AVG Free
[ ] Sophos Home (free)
In other words, is there a reason for me to install Kaspersky instead of Sophos or Bitdefender, which I both used in the past? (If you reply, please do NOT mention anything about US politics or Russia - thank you!)
I'm currently using BitDefender Free, quite happy with it, lightweight, silent, no ads, no popups, works quite well, and i'm also interested how it compares to this new Kaspersky Free AV
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I'm currently using BitDefender Free, quite happy with it, lightweight, silent, no ads, no popups, works quite well...
I'm using Windows Defender and have similar experience.
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I'm currently using BitDefender Free, quite happy with it, lightweight, silent, no ads, no popups, works quite well...
I'm using Windows Defender and have similar experience.
I can't remember why i choose BD over WD, i know there's something
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Because for quiet sometime time Microsoft was failing miserably with Windows Defender. It was coming in at the bottom of AV-Test's testing for many years, it has only be recently that it has picked itself up out of last place. The results have been similar with av-comparatives results with Microsoft being one of the bottom results only recently moving upwards towards the middle of the pack.
In both companies tests BitDefender (which is what I use) and Kaspersky came out towards the top of the pack.
No it wasn't that, i remember it failing over and over the AV test, but recently it got better, but still for some reason i decided to use BD.
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Re:How good is it compared to... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm currently using BitDefender Free, quite happy with it, lightweight, silent, (...)
So I gather you're a Windows prod...erm, user. Why the fuck a Windows user has to do with Slashdot?
Oh, i understand your confusion, i'm just in Slashdot waiting for the "Year of Linux desktop" article to pop up.
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In other words, is there a reason for me to install Kaspersky instead of Sophos or Bitdefender, which I both used in the past?
Right there in the summary:
Instead of trying to make ad money off your patronage, Kaspersky will use the data you contribute to improve machine learning across its products.
Whatever that means . . .
Do they maybe me "computation time", that you contribute . . . ? Turning your AV software into a compute node . . . ? Or maybe "data about other users", that you may contribute . . . ? *Real Espionageware*!
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Does Avast have Vladamir Putin on a horse backing them up?
Yeah, I didn't THINK so!
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Does Avast have Vladamir Putin on a horse backing them up?
Yeah, I didn't THINK so!
I hear Donald Trump loves it, and is going to get it installed on all Whitehouse computers by the end of the week.
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Kaspersky demanded money to whitelist our software (generic false positive--thought it was a trojan dropper). Booo.
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Okay, that's interesting info and perhaps reason for me as a software developer to avoid their products. Thanks!
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Forticlient is also free and comes with web filtering
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I don't think trying to ignore political shills and idiots on /. makes me a moron. I'm also not a US citizen, so you can shove your politics and your stupid president up your ass!
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[ ] Windows Defender (part of Windows)
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Competes against built-in (Score:4, Interesting)
There is already an antivirus builtin to Windows. Honest question here, why should I install this one instead?
Re:Competes against built-in (Score:5, Interesting)
There is already an antivirus builtin to Windows. Honest question here, why should I install this one instead?
The question is whether you want to open your machine to NSA/CIA/FBI/CBP or to FSB/FSO/SVR/GRU. Who is more likely to break down your door in the middle of the night? Pick the other.
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The question is whether you want to open your machine to NSA/CIA/FBI/CBP or to NSA/CIA/FBI/CBP/FSB/FSO/SVR/GRU.
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The question is whether you want to open your machine to NSA/CIA/FBI/CBP or to FSB/FSO/SVR/GRU. Who is more likely to break down your door in the middle of the night?
Stop! It's an entangled quantum mechanics trick question, like Schrödinger's Secret Squirrel! It's both the NSA/CIA/FBI/CBP *AND* the FSB/FSO/SVR/GRU at the same time!
Einstein: "So, when you open the box, is the left-handed glove or the right-handed glove in the box . . . ?"
Pick the other.
Yes, it is, in fact the third option.
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"pick either"
You probably fail to realize that you've already picked both...
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Why would the break down the door when they've got a master key to enter at their leisure?
Because they can.
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No antivirus is enough to protect yourself.
Should I trust Kaspersky more than Microsoft? In both cases it's about trust.
Re:Competes against built-in (Score:5, Insightful)
Antivirus built-in to Windows, brought to you by the people that make the highly-infectable Windows!
In all seriousness, the biggest logical fault I have with using Microsoft's antivirus tool is that being both the source of the problem and the solution to the problem doesn't make a lot of sense. Without knowing Microsoft's priorities it's difficult to really say how independent their antivirus team is relative to their mainstream products teams, so for all we know they're subject to the same pressures to produce code regardless of quality that the main products teams face. Even if they are independent to an extent, we don't know how corporate culture impacts them such that their mentality might be similar.
Using a third-party product as essentially an audit is probably the right approach, if that third-party product can be trusted. Unfortunately over the years we've seen both paid products and free products devolve to where they should lose our trust. You can't permanently rely on a solution and have to always be ready to change if your previous choice becomes unsuitable.
With that in mind, Kaspersky may have some stuff going for it, but it has some stuff going against it too. Yevgeny Kaspersky seems to be at the top of the game when it comes to security, but since he continues to reside in his home country where there's a history of questionable actions and takeovers by the government that has also been suggested as a state-sponsor of cyberespionage, it's difficult to trust that there won't be government meddling in Kaspersky products or an outright takeover of the the company by the State should the State feel that it's in its best interests to do so. This isn't some random application, this is software that must establish deep integration into the OS to function and also must regularly communicate with company servers to retrieve new information and to update itself. We should be skeptical as to how much we trust any application that requires these kinds of privileges, and the source of the application is important.
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There is already an antivirus builtin to Windows. Honest question here, why should I install this one instead?
In my experience, back when we had poor edge protection at work (2-3 years ago) and malware made it into the company, I would upload it to sites like VT, Malwr, and Anubis. Kaspersky was nearly always one of the first AV companies to detect it. We had Symantec and they were always hours behind.
So, I'd say that the reason is because if you're going to traditional AV route, instead of no AV or a next gen AV, Kaspersky is probably one of the best bets.
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Kaspersky Lab, Malware discovery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Didn't their Source code make it to the web? (Score:1)
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Well, I'm using an OS whose entire source has been leaked in 1991, and hasn't seen a full rewrite since. Now that one must be compromised to hell and back...
your data will be sold to the KBG! (Score:2)
your data will be sold to the KBG!
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I don't mind my data being sold to the Kenya Business Guide, just as long as it doesn't wind up with the Russians.
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your data will be sold to the KBG!
. . . along with the your data sold by Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc . . .
Actually, a foreign intelligence service might want to think about setting up a dummy marketing corporation to buy information from Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc . . .
"Comrade, you must have excellent spies in the USA! Where did you get this information . . . ?"
"Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc . . ."
Comes with bonus anti-moose-and-squirrel tech (Score:2)
Is KGB approved. You trust!
Reviews Are In! (Score:4, Funny)
-Admiral Ackbar
-Ash Williams
Correction: (Score:2)
If you aren't the [paying] customer ... (Score:1)
... you are the product.
"Kaspersky will use the data you contribute to improve machine learning across its products."
Well, at least they are being up-front about it.
What a deal! (Score:2)
Instead of letting other companies spy on you through this software, they're just going to spy on you through this software themselves.
What a deal!
Probably safe (Score:1)
Barclays Bank, one of the biggest in the UK, provides Kaspersky antivirus free to its online banking customers, so it's probably safe. Regardless of the facts, their sales will suffer anyway amongst people uneasy about their closeness to the Kremlin, an inevitable reaction to the Russian state's cyber-pranks.
Only the paranoid would think that a widely installed piece of free software which is automatically updated, just waiting for the day when the special update is sent, would provide a useful cyber weapo
Hey look, a distraction! (Score:3)
We've been implicated with working closely with Russian Intelligence. I know! FREE SOFTWARE FOR EVERYONE!
meh (Score:1)
That seems better firing all the transgender people... ;P
Welcome to the age of distraction
Intrusive AV, stopped using it (Score:2)
Nice try, KGB... (Score:2)
Ummmm, (Score:1)