Advertisement

Kaspersky launches its free antivirus software worldwide

In return, it will use data you contribute to improve machine learning across its products.

Kaspersky has finally launched its free antivirus software after a year-and-a-half of testing it in select regions. While the software was only available in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, China and in Nordic countries during its trial run, Kaspersky is releasing it worldwide. The free antivirus doesn't have VPN, Parental Controls and Online Payment Protection its paid counterpart offers, but it has all the essential features you need to protect your PC. It can scan files and emails, protect your PC while you use the web and quarantine malware that infects your system.

The company says the software isn't riddled with advertisements like other free antivirus offerings. Instead of trying to make ad money off your patronage, Kaspersky will use the data you contribute to improve machine learning across its products. The free antivirus will be available in the US, Canada and most Asia-Pacific countries over the next couple of days, if it isn't yet. After this initial release, the company will roll it out in other regions from September to November.

Kaspersky has been having a hard time doing business in the US recently, what with a recent wave of allegations that it's a Russian stooge. Bloomberg, for instance, published a piece accusing the company of working with Russian intelligence. The security firm's founder Eugene Kaspersky offered to provide a source code he said will prove that his company isn't in cahoots with the Russian government. However, the US government still kicked Kaspersky out of the the lists of approved vendors covering IT services and digital photographic equipment.