Kaspersky customers in the USA are automatically switched to UltraAV

Kasperky is withdrawing from the USA after the US government effectively banned its anti-virus protection due to its Russian origin. The company wanted to offer its US customers the opportunity to switch to the largely unknown UltraAV antivirus from Pango. This has apparently been happening for a week – often without any further queries and automatically.

In the Kaspersky forum, users have been complaining since the weekend that UltraAV was automatically installed for them without prior notification or even asking. One affected user complained that the software could not be uninstalled. After first removing Kaspersky Antivirus from the Windows software list, the UltraAV software could then be uninstalled. However, it is possible that this does not occur frequently; other users report an uncomplicated UltraAV uninstallation.

Automatic switch to UltraAV and continuation of the subscription

Kaspersky employees also explain there that the existing subscription and log-in data, the license term and device coverage are also transferred and that there is no price increase. The Windows apps would be automatically converted to UltraAV and updated. A manual update may be necessary on very old Windows app versions, Android, iOS and macOS apps. Notifications in the app should indicate this – Users should therefore open the app manually.

heise online asked Pango for a statement regarding the user reports. A spokesperson told us that Kaspersky has been informing its customers since September 5. Those who have a valid email address in their account have received emails with details of the transfer process. There have also been in-app notifications in the apps, as well as in the "MyKaspersky" accounts. Following these messages, the changeover began on September 17, initially for customers with the free version, and from September 19 also for those with the paid software.

Customers on all platforms (Android, iOS, macOS, Windows) received an email from UltraAV and an in-app message from Kaspersky with instructions on how to activate the new product. Paying Windows users also received the email, but no action was required on their part. "There was a small cohort of Kaspersky Free users who had not registered an email address with Kaspersky. These users were only informed of the move via an in-app message," the Pango spokesperson admitted.

The in-app notification announced that the migration of Kaspersky services to UltraAV will take place shortly. The message also mentions the automatic activation of UltraAV on the device. However, the notification does not explicitly mention that this will result in an update process without further queries.

In Germany, the BSI still has an active warning against Kaspersky antivirus products. However, the company is not planning any comparable steps here, as there is no ban comparable to that in the USA.

(dmk)