Twenty years of fierce rivalry have benefited Kaspersky Anti-Virus in the cybersecurity industry. It might be very user-friendly and very well-liked. The bells and whistles of an antiviral app are significant, but the company’s reputation and security ties are even more crucial.
According to reports, the Russian-owned business is in contact with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). It is in charge of giving them real-time intelligence and information about its clients’ computers. Additionally, the Kaspersky infrastructure hosts the Russian Ministry of Defense’s domain.
So, is it safe to use Kaspersky? Is it possible to use this antivirus software, ignoring its ties to companies monitoring user computers?
Let’s take a closer look at this antivirus provider’s internal structure.
Pros and Cons of the Kaspersky Antivirus
Pros
- Updated database with the newest risks and viruses
- Memory and system performance is not significantly affected; system optimization is enabled
- Easy to Use and Navigate
- 24-hour phone, chat, and email assistance that is simple to use
Cons
- On the more expensive end of the price spectrum
- Unremarkable features in plans with higher prices
- The cheapest plan is only available for Windows
- Low brand trust because of scandal in 2017
- Relationships with the Russian secret services
Top Security Features of Kaspersky
Although Kaspersky’s track record and connections to the Russian secret services raise many questions about the corporation, the product itself promises to be quite effective. The precise set of features offered will be greatly influenced by the pricing plan you choose, as with any paid service. This implies that it may include anything from rudimentary malware and virus protection to a comprehensive suite with numerous extra functions.
Let’s look at a few of the things that Kaspersky offers.
- Malware protection
Recent testing of Kaspersky’s malware scanner by reputable testing laboratories occurred in the fall of 2020. It performed incredibly well, with fewer false positives than Norton, a close competitor, and 100% accuracy in detecting both prevalent and zero-day malware.
This 100% success rate, according to SE Labs in London, was achieved by preventing the virus from being installed rather than by removing it after it had been set up. Only Trend Micro had a similarly flawless track record, whereas Norton and Microsoft’s top solutions permitted a small amount of malware to be implanted before removing it.
The base edition of Kaspersky Anti-Virus only provides protection for machines running Windows since, as said, Kaspersky malware protection only applies to threats to Windows.
- Real-time protection
A feature of Kaspersky called real-time protection shields your device from online dangers, most often malware that poses as legitimate files.
Our tests showed that it performed admirably. The feature discovered and eliminated eight out of ten threats, which also detected and unzipped all ten dangerous files.
However, the procedure was a little distinct from that of other antivirus software. In contrast to previous applications that would place files into quarantine and prompt the user for action, it first detected the malware, then designated it for termination, and only then did it remove it.
- Double-Phase Firewall
Only Windows supports this functionality of Kaspersky antivirus. Although it is not included in the app, we can assume it operates by screening both incoming and outgoing online traffic. In essence, it prevents your PC from joining a botnet and should give alarms if anything strange is delivered to or received from your devices.
- Prevention Of Online Threats
Kaspersky’s Web Threat Protection checks various URLs for phishing website addresses to stop users from visiting phishing websites.
A URL Advisor is a comparable function that scans websites and classifies them as safe, suspicious, or harmful.
It is important to note that these functionalities are absent from the Kaspersky antivirus software.
- Virus scans
The Kaspersky antivirus program performs the following scans:
- The Kaspersky antivirus program performs the following scans:
- A quick scan looks for malware in the typical locations on your system, such as the temporary files folder. The user is advised to do a thorough scan if any threats are discovered.
- Full scan: thoroughly examines the system.
- Selective scanning allows the user to pick specific files or directories to be scanned.
- Hard drives, USB sticks, and similar removable drives are scanned.
- Applications are checked for vulnerabilities using a vulnerability scan.
- System memory, disk boot sectors, and startup objects are all scanned in the background. The vulnerability scan is launched together with the background scan; therefore, both cannot be launched independently.
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Is Kaspersky Antivirus Safe to Use?
Your devices are adequately protected from viruses, malware, and ransomware by Kaspersky Antivirus. Additionally, Kaspersky offers a ton of helpful tools like WebCam protection, a quick VPN, and an Ad Blocker to help you always enhance the security of your device.
Remember that all of these benefits were created to consume as few resources as possible, so the antivirus has little effect on your device’s memory and system performance. Keep in mind that far safer and more dependable options are available.
Ultimately, it is totally up to the user whether or not to use Kaspersky. Even at a very high price, it can be beneficial if you’re seeking simplicity, the convenience of use, and a few extra features to make your online experience safe.
FAQs
Q: Why is Kaspersky banned?
A: The US Department of Homeland Security prohibited the use of Kaspersky products by all government agencies on September 13, 2017, in response to allegations that Kaspersky had collaborated with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to use Kaspersky software as a tool for facilitating espionage and the theft of sensitive data. Kaspersky has refuted these charges.
Q: Should I get antivirus software?
A: Operating systems are now more advanced than in the early 2000s. Hence, they have unique security procedures to defend you from various online threats.
They could not, however, be as quick to respond to a malware attack as specialists who solely operate in the same industry, given that they are in charge of massive infrastructures. Therefore, it’s possible that employing a third-party antivirus will help you get better results.
Q: Can Kaspersky Impede my System’s Performance?
A: Your computer’s performance can be affected by Kaspersky Antivirus. You may need to disable Kaspersky’s built-in settings for “automatic scans” and instead configure scheduled scanning for times when you are not actively using the system if you believe that the overall performance of your computer has decreased since you installed the program.