Kaspersky replaced with UltraAV in the US
Regardless of whether you like it or not, politics affects you on the daily grind level today. Take the example of TikTok: the matter isn’t over yet, but it feels like the platform will be banned in the US because of the alleged sharing of personal information of its users with the Chinese government. It’s more complicated than that, of course, but from the perspective of a regular user, the bottom line is that TikTok will not be available in America any more.
Another confirmation of the veracity of the above statement is the case of Kaspersky: in June 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) prohibited Kaspersky Lab from selling its products in the United States on the grounds that it is a Russian company that, allegedly, has ties to the Russian government. And recently, users there started noticing that they’re now under protection of UltraAV and not the good old Kaspersky Internet Security Suite.
The move wasn’t unannounced: in July 2024, the company did announce that it was withdrawing from the US market and passing its business to UltraAV. Still, to about a million users, it was a surprise. The curious part is, a good one or a bad one?
What is UltraAV?
UltraAV is positioned as a comprehensive security solution, offering several features that may differ from the Kaspersky bundle. In addition to the expected VPN and Password Manager, the suite offers:
- Identity Theft Protection (monitoring services for potential identity theft)
- Home Title Monitoring (protects against fraudulent claims on property ownership)
- Insurance coverage (up to $1 million if your identity has been stolen).
UltraAV is a product of Pango Group, a company that has been active in the cybersecurity sector for around 20 years. Pango also owns several other security products, including Hotspot Shield and Betternet. The company focuses on providing antivirus solutions, VPN services, and identity protection, claiming to have over 650 million lifetime users across its brands. This surely sounds like a lot, but the major concerns about the said transition is exactly the lack of reputation on the part of Pango Group, at least compared to that of Kaspersky.
While there’s no reason to believe that Kaspersky would have picked an unqualified player to take its place on the US market, if you’re looking for alternatives to UltraAV, browse the Security section of Software Informer’s catalog:
Software Informer – Antivirus & Security
Chances are, you’ll find your next favorite antivirus software there. Don’t forget to install Software Informer itself, the free updater that makes your computer more secure by automatically updating the programs you’ve installed:
