Kaspersky has decided to close its operations and lay off employees in the US in response to the US placing Kaspersky on the Entity List in June. The Entity List includes "foreign individuals, companies, and organizations that appear to pose a national security risk."

On June 20, the administration of President Joe Biden also announced a ban on the sale and updates of Kaspersky antivirus software in the US starting September 29, 2024, due to national security risks.

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An email from Kaspersky to customers regarding the switch to UltraAV antivirus software. Image: Reddit

In July, Kaspersky announced it would begin closing down and laying off employees starting July 20 due to the ban. In early September, the Russian security company sent emails to customers, reassuring them they would continue to receive reliable security services from UltraAV after Kaspersky ceased operations in the US. However, the emails did not mention that the company's products would be abruptly removed and replaced with UltraAV on users' computers.

According to reports from many customers, UltraAV software was installed on their devices without any notification. Many fear their devices have been infected with malware.

One person shared: “I woke up and saw the new antivirus software on my computer. I tried to open Kaspersky, but it was gone. So I looked up what had happened, fearing that my computer had somehow been infected with a virus, and uninstalled Kaspersky.”

Worse still, while some users were able to uninstall UltraAV using the software's uninstaller, others found it reappearing after restarting their computers, further exacerbating concerns about malware infection.

According to Bleeping Computer , there isn't much information available about UltraAV, other than that it's a product of Pango Group – the owner of several VPN tools such as Hotspot Shield, UltraVPN, Betternet, and Comparitech (a VPN software review website).

On its website, UltraAV explains that for Kaspersky users, once the transition is complete, UltraAV will be activated on the device and users will be able to use all paid features.

A Kaspersky employee also shared an official statement on the company's forum regarding the forced switch to UltraAV. According to the statement, Kaspersky partnered with UltraAV to ensure continued protection for US customers who were no longer protected by Kaspersky.

(According to Bleeping Computer)