Kaspersky, a Russian cybersecurity firm, ceased its U.S. operations but has automatically replaced its antivirus software on American computers with UltraAV. No warning was given that the switch would occur on the day, reports Bleeping Computer. This decision follows the U.S. government's ban on Kaspersky software updates and sales, which takes effect on September 29, 2024, over national security concerns.
Earlier this year Kaspersky was added to the U.S. Entity List due to national security concerns and had to halt business in the U.S. In July, Kaspersky began laying off U.S. employees and preparing to close operations. In September the company notified its customers that they would be transitioned to UltraAV, an antivirus from Pango Group. However, the abrupt transition occurred without warning via an automatic update a few days ago.
