FBI and Kapersky

[Chuckanut]

The FBI previously raised issues over Kaspersky Lab's ties with the Kremlin, as it believes that data collected by the company's popular antivirus program is being sent directly to the Russian government.

https://betanews.com/2017/08/25/fbi-stop-kaspersky/

Do other countries in the world trust us not to use Google, Apple, Facebook, to spy on them?

 

[Curmudgeon]

I'm not usually the tin-foil-hat type, but I'll never use always-on software that comes from an unfriendly country (Russia, China, etc.).

 

[cbo111]

I have used Kaspersky on my three computers for the last 6 or 7 years with zero issues. Of course I have no idea how many emails of mine have been forwarded to the Politburo, I Still have a year left on current contract. May have to switch next year.

 

[Rianne]

I just turned off my Kaspersky. IMac offered it for free. The other free extensions work great, no ads.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I have used Kaspersky on my three computers for the last 6 or 7 years with zero issues. Of course I have no idea how many emails of mine have been forwarded to the Politburo

For me, it's not just the privacy issue: Suppose at some date in the future country X wants to 'teach the US a lesson', or actively engage in cyberwar. Some of this software - like Kaspersky - is actively running on your computer 24/7, and constantly in touch with the Mothership. How tough would it be for a signal to go out which causes that software to encrypt or delete your hard drive, crash your computer, or become a host for other types of attacks?

 

[RunningBum]

I've been using Kaspersky for years also, no problems. Here's a different view on whether or not to use it for your home, assuming there's no national security involved.


https://www.tomsguide.com/us/kaspersky-safe-to-use,news-25516.html


My quick summary on the above link is that it should be as safe as any antivirus software for home use. There's not much evidence of the alleged ties to the Kremlin, no evidence that he has sent any data their way, he has offered his source code to the US government, and he's probably got too much to lose in his business to do this.


I'll do more research but I'm not removing it, at least not for now. I ran McAfee and/or Norton for a few years before that and there was so much bloatware that my PC really ran a lot better after I switched.

 

[easysurfer]

I'm in the states and don't fully trust Google and Facebook (I don't have Apple devices) from not spying. Oh, and Microsoft too. Just saying.

I used to have Maxthon as my browser. That's made in China and have read some concern too whether China is spying.

 

[flintnational]

Kapersky or kaepernick?

I thought this was going to be an NFL thread.

FN

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Interesting article. I bought a "new" (actually refurbished like my last 3) desktop and installed Kaspersky on it and as well as my other devices after reading some reviews on its effectiveness. Well, just today, I had to spend 2 hours getting some malware off the "new" desktop (Windows 10) that had hijacked my browser. I never had any issues w/ the "old" desktop with Win 7 and AVG installed. So, I am *not* a fan of this Kaspersky deal nor with Windows 10.

 

[MRG]

I'm not usually the tin-foil-hat type, but I'll never use always-on software that comes from an unfriendly country (Russia, China, etc.).

How would you know? Seriously if company X outsources 50% of their development jobs to country Y, how are you going to know?

Development happens all over the world today. Even totally US based organizations have employee's who are not US citizens. I've worked with people all over the world, especially when I stopped traveling overseas and stayed in the Midwest.

 

[zinger1457]

A good read is 'Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime' by Brian Krebs. Russia has been the center of cybercrime around the world for a very long time and there are likely ties between the cyber criminals and members of the Russian government although no one on the outside really knows to what degree. Kapersky might be a perfectly good product but I would never use it.

 

[CaptTom]

Do other countries in the world trust us not to use Google, Apple, Facebook, to spy on them?

They probably don't.

But Global companies have to consider their customers world-wide. Many see much of their growth outside the US. I imagine they have a strong incentive not to become too closely entwined with the US government.

Then again, Google, Apple and especially Facebook DO spy on us all to an alarming degree, but for their own enrichment, not for any government. Most of us don't really seem to care. I haven't started wearing tin-foil hats yet, but I try to be aware of what's being collected and the more I learn, the more I make modest efforts to avoid some of the worst data-collectors.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

All our laptops are made in China. Who knows what lays in the bios?