Russian Anti-Virus Kaspersky & CCleaner

Yes, do not use it, OP. Uninstall and use something else - Webroot or Norton or similar. Kaspersky claims to be free from Russian influence but they are one secret update away from stealing whatever they want from anyone's computer, and it would all be perfectly legal on the Russian side.

It's banned from use on US government computers and has been for some time, for good reason.

Thanks for the fast reply R1. If I try to uninstall it won't they take revenge anyway?

Can I prevent anything from happening now or is it too late?

Can you recommend something that will take it off 100% with no secret files existing afterwards?

CCleaner is a goner. I learned of that a while back. Please do not update it or run it, OP. Just try and disable it well enough for right now. I used to just adore that tool and learned that it's a goner on a subreddit for Windows.

I truly can't help you out with the other thing. I use the Windows Defender over on my home computer (which went from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and I'm thinking that's gonna be about it).

Glarys Utilities is alright. That's about as old as CCleaner.

R1 just uninstall it, reboot and use CCleaner to clean up after it, uninstall CCLeaner, then reboot and reinstall CCleaner and run fixes on your registry and so forth to remove any orphans.

BTW don't use Avast, they are not in the business of antivirus, they are in the business of selling computer telemetry they get from you using their antivirus. I didn't realize CCleaner was bought by Avast four years ago.

What are you hiding OP? Hmmmmmm

Does anyone still use these independent add on "anti-virus"? My computer geek nephew said the first thing to do with a knew PC is remove the Norton. Stick with Windows built in. These anti-virus programs are actually viruses and spyware.

Avast is the nastiest program to remove, as you have to actually go into reg edit to kill the entry that reloads it in the background after you think you've killed it.

I just use the built in windows Defender and occasionally I will install and run Malwarebytes just to make extra sure, but I uninstall it right after.

R8 almost all new PCs sold come with third party antivirus software on top of the windows installation so most people just use whatever that is and that's that McAfee seems to be the most prevalent..

I do the full WinDefender once a month and offline once a month and run the malware tool whenever I think of it.

I have used AVG antivirus free. It has always seemed to work and has different shields and levels of protection. BTW you should always install Ublock Origin on your browser so it will stop most pop up ads, ads on YT, and most sites.

Why do you care?

I mean, chances are whatever software you're using is being used for unintended purposes.. from every fucking nation. Even open source is too open to these conflicts of interest.

So, what is your biggest fear here?

R14 Americans have always been terrified of the Russians. OP has probably pissed herself numerous times having something Russian in her house. Poor girl. I feel sorry for her.

I won't use Kaspersky despite high effectiveness ratings. Suggest you review this piece on Kaspersky from The PC Security Channel.

[quote] The Russian-owned company has been reported to be in communication with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and is responsible for providing them with real-time intelligence and identifying data of customers’ computers. Plus, the domain of the Russian Ministry of Defense is hosted in Kaspersky's infrastructure, and Eugene Kaspersky, the owner of the company, has recently refused to condemn the Russian army's cruel and unlawful military actions in Ukraine.

[quote] With that in mind, many users might have a serious problem using any products with such a connection – let alone a personal cybersecurity product.

Thanks for posting that R16.

I wouldn't be surprised if the malware attacks in the US were because it piggybacked on a home user who took the malware to work.

I went onto CCleaner's website & downloaded their 30 day free trial on to my computer

& it's still working so I don't know where the above poster heard that they are no longer in service.

The whole situation seems odd.

I believe Russia could empty all banks of money, then crash our electrical grid. They have that power. While we sat around trying to be all copacetic and open-minded, they were training hackers.

Kaspersky was/is the best antivirus software, period!

If you can ignore the new cold war confrontations going on right now with Russia and China and the noises and accusations about the threat posed by Chinese or Russian companies and their products, you should keep using it for your personal purpose, there is virtually no threat from their consumer products. But the government, the interest groups, the competitors and the media will tell you differently, if you want to follow them, then stop using it, in the end it's up to you to decide.

I’m subscribed to McAfee, which is expensive, but I have never had a virus or malware on any of my devices since 2008.

What facts do you have to assert "there is virtually no threat from their consumer products" R22? Do you know something that independent reviewers with zero revenue from antivirus companies don't?

R20. I don't work in IT. I'm just someone who tries to stay informed.

I truly dig CCLEANER but it's pretty well dead to me at this point. I reckon it's a goner.

When I remove ANY program from my computer, i do it with a free program called Revo Uninstaller. It allows the program to run its uninstall function first, then it does a search for leftover files, including those in the Registry. and allows you to delete them, also. Some programs leave literally hundreds of files embedded in various places on your hard disk, and this will find them. I've use it for probably 10 years, with no bad effects.

I'm not a tech person but I heard years ago to avoid it. Russians were using it to get info.

Thanks for mentioning Revo R26.