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Ask Slashdot: Should Users Uninstall Kaspersky's Antivirus Software? (slashdot.org)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the anti-antivirus dept.

First, here's the opinion of two former NSA cybersecurity analysts (via Consumer Reports): "It's a big deal," says Blake Darche, a former NSA cybersecurity analyst and the founder of the cybersecurity firm Area 1. "For any consumers or small businesses that are concerned about privacy or have sensitive information, I wouldn't recommend running Kaspersky." By its very nature antivirus software is an appealing tool for hackers who want to access remote computers, security experts say. Such software is designed to scan a computer comprehensively as it searches for malware, then send regular reports back to a company server. "One of the things people don't realize, by installing that tool you give [the software manufacturer] the right to pull any information that might be interesting," says Chris O'Rourke, another former NSA cybersecurity expert who is the CEO of cybersecurity firm Soteria.
But for that reason, Bloomberg View columnist Leonid Bershidsky suggests any anti-virus software will be targetted by nation-state actors, and argues that for most users, "non-state criminal threats are worse. That's why Interpol this week signed a new information-sharing agreement with Kaspersky despite all the revelations in the U.S. media: The international police cooperation organization deals mainly with non-state actors, including profit-seeking hackers, rather than with the warring intelligence services."

And long-time Slashdot reader freddieb is a loyal Kaspersky user who is wondering what to do, calling the software "very effective and non-intrusive." And in addition, "Numerous recent hacks have gotten my data (Equifax, and others) so I expect I have nothing else to fear except ransomware."

Share your own informed opinions in the comments. Should users uninstall Kaspersky's antivirus software?

8 of 313 comments (clear)

  1. ANY antivirus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Uninstall any such snakeoil crap.

    1. Re:ANY antivirus by plopez · · Score: 4, Interesting

      That assumes you can. If your apps are hosted remotely (aka "The Cloud") do YOU know what they are using? What about their subcontractors and sub-subcontractors? What about your bank? Let's keep going and ask about your health care provider. And so on. Do you know?

      --
      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    2. Re:ANY antivirus by Flytrap · · Score: 4, Interesting

      From what I understand ANY anti-virus or anti-malware tool is susceptible to being targeted by powerful nation-state actors for use is accessing user's computers... not just those from the US or Russia. That means that F-Secure, or any other such tool from any other country could still be hacked by the China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, the US or any other nation-state with an active cyber intelligence programme and used to violate the user's privacy and confidentiality.

      I do not know what the real answer is... but I believe that the recent cyber intrusions are going to strengthen the advocacy for sandboxed application models and strict or explicit permissioned based access to computer hardware, software, network and data resources that have become prevalent on modern mobile platforms. Powerful nation-state actors will still try to hack and find vulnerabilities in the underlying operating system host or hypervisor layer, but at least it would give security practitioners a single concerted layer to focus their intrusion detection efforts on.

      Protecting the cloud and the various systems, protocols, etc that make up the disparate components of cloud based systems is a whole other kettle of fish, which i think is beyond the scope of the question posed by the original poster.

    3. Re:ANY antivirus by geekmux · · Score: 3, Interesting

      They're less "snake oil" than "yesterday's solution."

      At this point, for Windows users, I'd simply recommend using the built-in AV and some common-sense precautions...

      I'm not sure what is the larger risk here; assuming that removing software is going to properly cover your ass in the event of an outbreak, or actually believing that the user community is fluent in "common-sense precautions".

      Remember there are times when software is solely used to prevent you from getting fired, particularly when the CxO doesn't see A/V as mere "snake oil".

    4. Re:ANY antivirus by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

      For the most part today we don't really deal with individual software but for good or bad we deal with mostly a service Infrastructure.
      So if you have an Apple Infrastructure, you may have an iPhone, a Mac and use airdrop to share files and use the iCloud.
      If you use the Google Infrastructure, you will have an Android Phone, a PC, using Google Drive
      If you are using a Microsoft infrastructure, You are more or less out of the phone, but you have Windows 10, Office 365 and OneDrive

      While you can mix these services around, but you are normally better off sticking to the brand you like as it offers better support and extra cool features.

      3rd party tools on your infrastructure in general will detract from your experience and your ability to get things, done... (You may not be able to get away from this, due to cost concerns, or just needing a tool that isn't available) However these tools installed are nearly always at risk of being not supported, or breaking something else.

      I am not saying this is good thing, being locked to a vendor for bulk of your use cases is overall bad, however this is the world that we currently live in. And you are better off using the Windows AV for windows because in general it is better built and it isn't trying to hack the system to do what it needs to do.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  2. Re:No by sittingnut · · Score: 4, Interesting

    this is indeed pure propaganda by nsa.

    kaspersky software detected(as it should) nsa's new malware in a negligent incompetent private contractor's private computer, alerted hq, russian gov may have heard about it, kaspersky is punished for doing its job. btw american made software did not detect such malware.

    if, after knowing the facts(as opposed to nsa propaganda), you find kaspersky is a threat, uninstall it.

  3. Re:No by skam240 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There is a mountain of evidence that an adversarial nation to our own (Russia) attempted to sway our election in favor of the current winner. How you can just blow that off is beyond me. Russia is not our friend, not by a long shot.

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    I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
  4. Re:No by jeff4747 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I get why you want to believe that. It's a lot easier than facing up to your policies being deeply unpopular for half the country. And your candidate being just as awful.

    The election was won by tens of thousands of votes in a couple states. Such as the 11,000 vote margin in Michigan and the 68,000 vote margin in Pennsylvania.

    With a margin that small, every single thing that nudged some voters was required to win the election. That includes email, the utterly incompetent Clinton campaign, and Russia. Take any one away and those margins flip.