Kaspersky is offering free security products for six months and tips for staying safe as a parting gift to consumers in the United States.
This week the Russian antivirus company Kaspersky Labs announced it is withdrawing from the United States, following a June decision by the Biden administration to ban the sale of Kaspersky software over alleged links to the Kremlin.
This was the culmination of a series of restrictions imposed by the US government
Russian antivirus giant Kaspersky says do Svidaniya to US customers with 6 months of free software: 'stay safe'
Further to its recent statement, Kaspersky has now announced something of a farewell gift to its US customers: six months of free security software and updates (thanks, The Register). The way it chose to announce this was via a letter addressed "To our lovely you", which also features a green teddy bear holding a heart balloon and a "stay safe" sign, with a single tear in its eye. Is… is Uncle Sam the baddy? The letter thanks US customers for "choosing and trusting Kaspersky throughout the years," and goes on to say that with "Kaspersky leaving the US, we'd like to pay you back with the least we can: gifting you a selection of our security solutions for free for six months." The software can be downloaded on the Kaspersky site, and includes: Kaspersky Standard; Kaspersky Plus; Kaspersky Password Manager; Kaspersky Safe Kids; and Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection. "We've always strived and remain committed to provide the best cybersecurity there is—independent, transparent and expertly managed," says Kaspersky. "Unfortunately, for now, you have one less choice in defending yourself against online threats."
The US ban comes into effect on September 29, after which Kaspersky will no longer be able to update the software Well, I hope the US government is happy with itself. For its part, the Biden administration alleges Kaspersky represents a national security threat and is under Moscow's thumb. Kaspersky denies that it is a threat to US national security, or that its products provide a potential backdoor for Moscow to go snooping around American computers. It called the ban a symptom of "present geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns."With the U.S. market now off-limits and with pressure from the European Parliament (PDF) to exclude the use in vital and sensitive sectors in the European Union of products from vendors in China and Russia, Kaspersky is now forced to move to other regions, such as Asia and South America.
Kaspersky is offering free security products for six months and tips for staying safe as a parting gift to consumers in the United States.
The company decided to close its business and lay off employees in the U.S. after the U.S. government added Kaspersky to the Entity List, a catalog of “foreign individuals, companies, and organizations deemed a national security concern.”
Farewell gift to U.S. users In a message addressed only to users in the U.S., Kaspersky is thanking its customers for choosing and trusting its products over the years. As a token of farewell, the company is offering users in the U.S. some of its security software free of charge for half a year.
“With Kaspersky leaving the U.S., we’d like to pay you back with the least we can: gifting you a selection of our security solutions for free for 6 months,”reads the message.
The company also provides a short list of general tips that can help users avoid trouble and keep safer:
remember to always back up your data
be wary of links and double-check their source before clicking
protect your identity online, change passwords regularly, and keep them long and complex
Kaspersky says goodbye to U.S. users source: BleepingComputer
The six-month limitation is likely due to the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) banning sales and distribution of Kaspersky products, including updates, in the United States starting September 29.
This means that after that date, U.S. users of Kaspersky products will no longer be able to receive automatic updates and antivirus definitions through the software.
Instead, they would need to manually install them via Kaspersky's site, if made available, potentially decreasing the security of the product.
In a statement for BleepingComputer, Kaspersky said that on July 20 it will begin shutting down its business in the U.S., which also involves lay-offs.
The decision and process follows the Final Determination by the U.S. Department of Commerce, prohibiting the sales and distribution of Kaspersky products in the U.S.
The company has carefully examined and evaluated the impact of the U.S. legal requirements and made this sad and difficult decision as business opportunities in the country are no longer viable.
While the U.S. has banned Kaspersky, the company's products are still widely used and critical vulnerabilities in any of them are in demand. For instance, vulnerability disclosure outfit SSD Secure Disclosure headquartered in South Korea has announced “BIG payouts” for pre-authentication remote code/command execution in Kaspersky Security Center, a security management solution for businesses.
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