Starting on the 26th of September, the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky automatically replaced its anti-malware software with UltraAV’s antivirus program on users’ PCs across the United States.
Because Kaspersky was added to the U.S. government’s list of “foreign individuals, companies, and organisations deemed a national security concern” in June, the company chose to cease operations in the country and fire staff stationed there.
Due to possible threats to national security, the Biden administration also said on June 20 that Kaspersky antivirus software sales and updates would no longer be permitted in the US as of September 29, 2024.
In July, Kaspersky informed BleepingComputer that due to the sales and distribution restriction, it would start to shut down operations and fire employees on July 20.
Additionally, Kaspersky sent out emails to clients in early September to reassure them that UltraAV, a Pango Group company, would continue to provide “reliable cybersecurity protection” following Kaspersky’s decision to stop providing software and updates to American consumers.
Nevertheless, customers were not informed in those emails that UltraAV would replace Kaspersky’s products on their PCs and that they would be removed suddenly.
Force-installed UltraAV on computers running Kaspersky
Numerous online customer reports, including those found in BleepingComputer’s forums, state that UltraAV’s software was installed on their computers without their knowledge or consent. As a result, many of them expressed fear that malware had been placed on their devices.
“When I went to start Kaspersky after noticing this new antivirus program on my desktop when I woke up, it was gone. I was having a minor heart attack, so I had to search up what occurred,” a user wrote. “My PC apparently got malware which uninstalled Kaspersky mysteriously.
To further matters, while some users were able to remove UltraAV using the program’s uninstaller, others who attempted to do so with uninstall programs discovered that it had reinstalled itself after a reboot, raising additional worries about a possible malware infection.
Some also had UltraVPN installed, most likely as a result of their Kaspersky VPN membership.
Apart from being a subsidiary of Pango Group, which also owns Comparitech, a website that reviews VPN software, and several VPN brands (such as Betternet, Hotspot Shield, and UltraVPN), not much is known about UltraAV.
On a page devoted to this forced migration from Kaspersky’s software, UltraAV states on its official website, “If you are a paying Kaspersky customer, when the transition is complete UltraAV protection will be active on your device and you will be able to leverage all of the additional premium features.”
“On September 30th, 2024 Kaspersky will no longer be able to support or provide product updates to your service. This puts you at substantial risk for cybercrime.”
Reason for forcing the conversion to UltraAV: “Software update”
On the official Kaspersky forums, an employee also posted an official statement on the forced migration to UltraAV. In it, the company stated that it has “partnered with antivirus provider UltraAV to ensure continued protection for US-based customers that will no longer have access to Kaspersky’s protections.”
“Kaspersky has additionally partnered with UltraAV to make the transition to their product as seamless as possible, which is why on 9/19, U.S. Kaspersky antivirus customers received a software update facilitating the transition to UltraAV,” it said.
“This update ensured that users would not experience a gap in protection upon Kaspersky’s exit from the market.”
The company claims that UltraAV’s feature set is comparable to its own, and it invites consumers to visit the FAQ section of UltraAV’s website or get in touch with its customer service department for further details.
(Tashia Bernardus)