Question What happened to Kaspersky?

[emitfudd]

I have been using the free version of Kaspersky for a few years now. Up until recently it was updating hourly, running scans as scheduled, etc. Now it doesn't do much of anything. I updated the settings so it is supposed to update automatically, scan daily with a full scan weekly. As of right now it shows it was updated yesterday morning at 8am. It is now 12pm the next day. I also noticed it will pop up on my screen right in the middle of a game which is unacceptable. I suppose I could try uninstalling it and reinstalling to see if it makes any difference. I have it on 2 desktop PC's and it isn't working right on either of them. Anybody else notice a big change in the way Kaspersky works lately?

 

[punkncat]

I would mention that Kaspersky has been implicated at least two times now for data collection and phoning home to Mother Russia. IMO, if you are going to use a freeware type A/V solution and are on W10/11 that Defender isn't really a poor performer. As with any A/V solution being smart about where you are surfing and clicking is much more effective.

 

[emitfudd]

I would mention that Kaspersky has been implicated at least two times now for data collection and phoning home to Mother Russia. IMO, if you are going to use a freeware type A/V solution and are on W10/11 that Defender isn't really a poor performer. As with any A/V solution being smart about where you are surfing and clicking is much more effective.

I don't really trust Defender any more than any other antivirus program. Microsoft is the worst when it comes to privacy.

 

[emitfudd]

After much mucking around Kaspersky alerts me that my subscription is inactive. Thanks for letting me know I needed to update it? I have now changed my password and activated the new subscription. Hopefully it starts working right again. Really surprised it didn't let me know my subscription was expired and just went into limp mode.

 

[punkncat]

I don't really trust Defender any more than any other antivirus program. Microsoft is the worst when it comes to privacy.

I am not suggesting that you should or should not trust MS, just that Defender actually works pretty well and at the very least is only sending that same sort of data to MS instead of Russia...and since you are on Windows it is already happening anyway.

I always wonder when people say things like this if they use a smart phone or a web connected TV, have an Alexa in the house and so forth. If you answered yes to any of these it is rather unusual to consider putting your foot down (as it were) just for Microsoft.

 

[COLGeek]

I am not suggesting that you should or should not trust MS, just that Defender actually works pretty well and at the very least is only sending that same sort of data to MS instead of Russia...and since you are on Windows it is already happening anyway.

I always wonder when people say things like this if they use a smart phone or a web connected TV, have an Alexa in the house and so forth. If you answered yes to any of these it is rather unusual to consider putting your foot down (as it were) just for Microsoft.

Just adding for completeness of what you posted earlier:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspersky_bans_and_allegations_of_Russian_government_ties

I have been using Defender on my Windows rigs for years. Zero issues, including privacy concerns.

 

[punkncat]

I appreciate the link for clarity.

As Darkbreese likes to say, the BEST A/V solution is between your ears. (or is that USAFRet?) 😉

 

[COLGeek]

I appreciate the link for clarity.

As Darkbreese likes to say, the BEST A/V solution is between your ears. (or is that USAFRet?) 😉

Yep. I subscribe to the same thought as well.

There are ways to protect yourself if doing questionable things, but counting on ANY A/V app to do by that by itself is a mistake.

 

[emitfudd]

My experience is that most viruses I have ever dealt with came from "normal" web surfing. I actually haven't had a PC virus for a very long time, probably over 5 years. My first PC in 2005 was constantly getting viruses. Anyways, this wasn't a question about which antivirus is best or safe surfing. It was a question about the performance of Kaspersky changing drastically over the past month or so. As stated above I have renewed the subscription, updated the databases on both PC's and run quick scans on both PC's. Also removed an old PC from the list of managed devices.

 

[punkncat]

I am curious as in your first post you said you had been using a free version for some years. Was this a promotional item that you got alongside a purchase (etc.) that ended without your realizing it?

 

[emitfudd]

I am not suggesting that you should or should not trust MS, just that Defender actually works pretty well and at the very least is only sending that same sort of data to MS instead of Russia...and since you are on Windows it is already happening anyway.

I always wonder when people say things like this if they use a smart phone or a web connected TV, have an Alexa in the house and so forth. If you answered yes to any of these it is rather unusual to consider putting your foot down (as it were) just for Microsoft.

Not putting my foot down for just Microsoft. I just stated they are the worst as is obvious by the number of settings you have to comb through when setting up a new PC to maintain some level of privacy. I don't have any smart home devices except a new smart TV. Really don't care if somebody knows what I watch on TV. I don't use my phone for surfing the web. That's why I have desktop PC's.

 

[emitfudd]

I am curious as in your first post you said you had been using a free version for some years. Was this a promotional item that you got alongside a purchase (etc.) that ended without your realizing it?

I have no idea why the subscription ended. I thought it renewed automatically every year. It was just the regular free version that I downloaded originally. I also would have expected the taskbar icon to turn red and alert me that my subscription expired. It shouldn't have been functioning at all, you would think?

 

[punkncat]

I have no idea why the subscription ended. I thought it renewed automatically every year. It was just the regular free version that I downloaded originally. I also would have expected the taskbar icon to turn red and alert me that my subscription expired. It shouldn't have been functioning at all, you would think?

I have to be honest in saying that over many years of troubleshooting and repair of other people's PC that I cannot count the number of times they were still on the "free preview" of Norton or McAfee from the purchase of the PC years prior and didn't know it wasn't working any more. I rather have to consider faulting those owners themselves for not checking rather than the software producers. It is one of a few very vital things to keep up with. No offense intended and hopefully not received as such.

 

[USAFRet]

I appreciate the link for clarity.

As Darkbreese likes to say, the BEST A/V solution is between your ears. (or is that USAFRet?) 😉

Many of us say that.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Kaspersky is the best PAID option on the market. most users don't need paid options,

 

[USAFRet]

Kaspersky is the best PAID option on the market. most users don't need paid options,

Any stats to back that up?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

View: https://youtu.be/wqgaELWt--M

 

[USAFRet]

Almost 13 minute video, that tells nothing.

OK.

 

[cAllen]

As has been stated...the best protection is common sense. That said, not everyone out there is a computer guru or sole user on their devices. When I gratefully received help/advice here on my new build last year to replace my old 775 on W7, this was the final step I had to address before going www live. I have a very qualified ex-hack, now legit IT friend who tested my new 12th GEN on W11 system in a controlled environment using only the "new" Defender vs my past solution of Kaspersky paid and Malwarebytes paid...using all known current and past bugs...and Defender lost. It's better, but I guaranty .gov, .edu and most major .coms do not rely soley on Defender for protection.

Thanks again your guidance folks! 😉

 

[emitfudd]

Kaspersky continued to give me headaches. It simply won't update daily. It wanted me to manually update. I completely removed it from my PC and am letting Defender do it's thing against my better judgement. Already found one setting that I had to disable that allows Defender to send files to Microsoft if it THINKS it is malware. Typical Microsoft. I am at a loss as to what to use for security. I used Zonealarm for a lot of years but it got to be a huge nuisance so I switched to Kaspersky. Worked fine for a few years and then just stopped working right.

 

[cAllen]

Sorry to hear. I have had no problems at all with Kaspersky Total Security, which is a paid version. Wish you the best.