Earlier this year in June, Russia-based Kaspersky was banned by the U.S. government and as a result, the U.S. staff were laid off. Following that, Kaspersky released its own statement on the matter.
Fast forward to September, Axios reported that around 1 million Kaspersky's U.S. customers were being offloaded to Pango Group's UltraAV. The information was shared by Neill Feather, president and chief operating officer at Pango.
As per the report, the companies understood that this would allow Kaspersky U.S. customers to continue receiving security updates in some form as they would no longer be serviced by Kaspersky. Users were seemingly informed about the migration around the same time the report was published.
Since then, several Kaspersky users including Neowin forum member Mockingbird are finding out that Kaspersky software uninstalled itself and has been replaced automatically with UltraAV.
The general sentiment from such users seems to be of curiosity and concern with a mix of frustration about the new UltraAV they are finding on their systems, and they do have a right to feel so given that UltraAV is relatively untested compared to something as robust as Kaspersky which had proven itself time and again in independent testing by the likes of AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives.
UltraAV on its website provides some details about itself including its foundation:
Is UltraAV a US-based company?
UltraAV is a US-based company and is not subject to any geographic restrictions. However, UltraVPN, the premium VPN included with UltraAV, is a Panama-based entity which means UltraVPN is outside the Five Eyes and Fourteen Eyes Alliance. This ensures the highest level of privacy and security for our customers.
Interestingly, some users noticed that the UltraAV software installer is digitally signed by a Pune, India-based firm called "Max Secure Software India Pvt. Ltd."
Besides the origin, UltraAV has also provided details regarding the transition from Kaspersky:
What to Expect from the Kaspersky --> UltraAV transistion
Windows Users
No action is required. By mid-September you will have access to Ultra AV & Ultra VPN on your Windows desktop. If you are a paying Kaspersky customer, when the transition is complete UltraAV protection will be active on your device and you will be able to leverage all of the additional premium features.
Mac & Android Users
By mid-September, you will receive an email notification when your product is ready to set up. Click on the link in the email and follow the onboarding process. Alternatively, you can open the Kaspersky Mac/Android product and follow the instructions from there.
What will happen to my Kaspersky service?
On September 30th, 2024 Kaspersky will no longer be able to support or provide product updates to your service. This puts you at substantial risk for cybercrime. UltraAV has all the tools you need to stay safe online - from cutting edge malware protection, to premium VPN, password manager and identity theft protection.
Additionally, information on billing and subscription charges have also been provided:
When did Kaspersky stop billing me for my service?
Kaspersky stopped billing monthly and annual customers in June 2024. Billing with UltraAV will resume in October 2024.
Will I be charged for UltraAV?
Your billing schedule with UltraAV will be the same as your Kaspersky account. Annual and monthly billing will remain the same.
If your previous renewal date fell between July and September 2024 or if you were billed monthly, you were not billed during that time frame. Your billing was delayed until October 2024. Once you are billed in October, you will resume a renewal cadence in accordance with your new bill date (e.g. If you were billed on 10/8/2024, your new 1 year will renewal date will be 10/8/2025)
How much does UltraAV cost?
You will keep the same price for your UltraAV account as you did for Kaspersky. If you were to repurchase UltraAV with all the features provided in your Kaspersky account, it would cost 47.88 per year, billed annually for the first year and then would renew at the full price of $149.99.
*This price is subject to change. We will always notify you by e-mail in advance prior to charging.
The FAQ page also notes that users can cancel their UltraAV subscription if they are unsatisfied with the service and performance of the product. In order to do so, users need to fill out this form to contact the support team.
You may find more details about UltraAV here on its official website.
Update, September 25, 2024, 8:45 am GMT: Following our report, UltraAV reached out to Neowin explaining why the move was made with good intentions.
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