Is Kaspersky Safe?

Unfortunately, no, Kaspersky isn’t safe. In 2017, Kaspersky was named a national security threat. It was banned from government agencies and businesses working with government agencies due to the possibility of it being a national security threat.

As of September 2024, Kaspersky will be banned from use by the general public. This decision was made after repeated evaluations of the product, and the Russian government’s oversight tactics proved that using the software was too risky. However, Kaspersky maintains it’s safe to use.

We’ll detail why Kaspersky isn’t safe to use and recommend the best antivirus alternatives to keep your device and data safe.

Is Kaspersky safe to use?

Kaspersky has yet to directly violate the privacy of its users. However, Russian data policies allow the government to perform regularly scheduled and unscheduled audits of the product.

Russia can also evaluate Kaspersky’s business practices at any time. Because of the volatile nature of the Russian government, it feels like too big a risk to take to continue to use a replaceable piece of software.

Since being deemed a threat, Kaspersky has vehemently argued that it doesn’t engage in activities that put American security at risk.

Still, the U.S. is not the first country to ban the software due to its Russian ties. Canada and Lithuania have banned the software as well, and other countries have at least warned against using Kaspersky.

Why was Kaspersky banned in the US?

The Biden administration is piggybacking off a Trump-era federal agency ban on Kaspersky. The administration claims that Kaspersky’s access to American data, coupled with Russia’s questionable legality, led to a vote of no confidence in the software.

To be fair, an antivirus provider does have access to your device and, by extension, your network’s most vulnerable parts.

This is the basis of the ban — that it could happen, and it would be too easy to infect Americans with malware, including spyware, if the government or any anti-American bad actor wanted to unleash something malicious.

Can I trust Kaspersky?

When we tested Kaspersky, a giant red flag made us not even want to continue the testing. Kaspersky lays out very clearly in its data handling policies that it’s subject to the “laws of several jurisdictions” when it comes to data sharing. This was the kind of red flag that, if we were consumers, would have made us shut it all down and ask for a refund.

Some people don’t believe there’s an issue with Kaspersky and argue online about it all day. We don’t take that viewpoint. Given the concerns over its ties to Russia, the ferocity of the Russian government in exacting its will over its domain (including Russian businesses), and Kaspersky’s own statements, we don’t think Kaspersky is trustworthy.

Best Kaspersky alternatives

You’ll need to replace your Kaspersky antivirus software with something that will continue to give you regular security updates as well as top-tier protection. We’ve chosen some of the best antivirus options available that are great replacements for Kaspersky.

Norton has similar features, AVG’s free tier is comparable to Kaspersky’s, and Surfshark One includes unique extras like CleanWeb that may have you wishing you’d switched years ago.

Antivirus
Starting price	$29.99/first yr	$46.68/yr (first year only)	$2.49/mo (billed every two years)
Free version
Firewall
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
Learn more	Get Norton Read Norton Review	Get AVG Read AVG Review	Get Surfshark One Read Surfshark One Review

FAQs

Bottom line

Kaspersky has already been banned at the federal level and will now be banned at the consumer level as well. If you want to ensure the most up-to-date protection, you’ll need to make the switch. There are plenty of non-controversial antivirus programs available that may even work out better for you than Kaspersky.

No matter what, your security is the most important thing. Kaspersky isn’t irreplaceable, so make the jump to the next best thing. We don’t think you’ll be disappointed.