Kaspersky Review: Turn Malicious Ware into Ghosts

Relating to Kaspersky security and all antiviruses, for that matter, we prefer using unbiased third-party testing labs. Therefore, in this report, we will be checking Kaspersky's effectiveness from the point of view of AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.
 

1. Third-party lab test results

Third-party testing labs are experts with well-constructed criteria and testing methods for AV products, providing an unbiased opinion on product security.
 

• AV-Test lab

  • 6/6 points for protection, as Kaspersky is capable of identifying malware without fail.
     
  • 6/6 points for performance, as to how much Kaspersky takes up from the device's resources.
     
  • 6/6 Points for usability, meaning a low false-positive rate (i.e., unlikely to mistake none infected files for infected ones).
     
    

• AV-Comparatives

  • Kaspersky scored 3/3 stars in the departments of malware removal.
     
  • Kaspersky antivirus scores 3/3 stars in the impact on device performance department, which means it won't take up your device's resources.
     
  • Kaspersky antivirus has a Real-World Protection Test with a 3/3 stars Real-world protection score. According to a test conducted with 758 domains/files, this score checks the detection rate of malicious files and domains.
     
  • Kaspersky antivirus hasn't been tested in terms of false alarms. Therefore, there aren't any results to list here.
     
  • Kaspersky antivirus has a 3/3 score regarding malware detection. This was done by testing 10102 test cases.
    
     
    

• SE Labs

  • Kaspersky scored (AAA) overall with a total accuracy rating of 100%.
     
  • Kaspersky had a 100% legitimate accuracy score, meaning it could accurately differentiate the products that classify legitimate applications and URLs.
     
  • In terms of protection, Kaspersky detected 100 out of 100, blocked 100, and neutralized none, earning a protection score of 100/100. Kaspersky antivirus had a protection accuracy rating of 399/399 (100%).
     

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2. Firewall Protection and IDS

Firewalls are an essential system to find in your antivirus plan; it's used to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. The excellent news is Kaspersky has a great firewall.
 

3. USB rescue toolkit

A USB rescue toolkit feature lets you download a rescue kit as a failsafe on your USB and use it later on. For example, if malicious ware infects your device and prevents it from even booting and reaching the antivirus screen, you can use the USB rescue kit to initiate cloud-based cleaner.

This tool is available by Kaspersky for users, which can be downloaded online under the name rescue disk.
 

If you have been wondering which plan to grab, then keep reading with us for further info. To start with, Kaspersky antivirus comes in three plans: Kaspersky AntiVirus, Kaspersky Internet Security, and Kaspersky Total Security. The features and price increase with each one.

1. Kaspersky's Antivirus plan

This is the Basic Type of antivirus provided by Kaspersky. It provides the basic function most needed in an antivirus. Its Threat detection is to boast about. They have a regularly updated malicious ware database. This allows for detecting the latest malicious ware, including viruses, ransomware, and spyware. It is highly functional in prevention, detection, and quarantine against malicious software.

Performance-wise, most antiviruses cause a heavy load on systems when scanning and take up a lot of memory and CPU power. On the other hand, Kaspersky antivirus is relatively less taxing on memory and power.

Kaspersky provides a virtual private network (VPN) for free. However, it is limited to 200MB per day. When an account is made, it is increased to 300MB. VPN allows for data encryption while browsing, protecting your data further. The full version, however, has to be bought separately. 
 

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2. Kaspersky's Internet Security plan

This is the most widely bought product bundle. It provides a wide variety of extra features with a reasonable increase in price. In addition, it allows the extension of services and features to include PC, Mac, and mobile. A few of these traits are especially important for people who regularly shop online.

These traits include an online payment encryption feature. This allows for safe online shopping and payments while adding an extra layer of protection. In addition, the webcam hijack protection feature protects your webcam from unauthorized websites and individual access to it.

Another useful privacy feature is the anti-phishing feature; it protects against search engines' suspicious URLs and search results. In addition, browsing privacy extension provides ad-free browsing and blocks websites from tracking cookies.

3. Kaspersky's Total Security plan

This bundle provides the full package with features built upon the Kaspersky Internet Security and more. The password manager is one of the available services.

People use the same password for multiple websites and accounts; they are put at risk of getting hacked on all those accounts when hacked on one. This feature allows people to use many strong passwords without the fear of losing them, hence improving users' web security. With the Kaspersky Total Security plan, the amount of passwords saved is unlimited. In other plans, however, the number of passwords is set to 15.

Parental control is a feature that helps parents monitor their children in real life and online. The former is addressed by providing a live feedback location of the children at all times. It also doubles as a device location service in case the device is lost. As for the online monitoring part, it works by showing websites visited and allowing for access restrictions.

The file encryption feature is another useful gadget that can be used to protect sensitive files to prevent them from being stolen. This can be useful with legal documents, pictures one doesn't want to share, and much more.
 

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Malware protection features

The malware protection provided by Kaspersky is well known for its ability to block threats, and it does so in real-time, instantly blocking all threats thrown at it. Independent testing labs assess malware protection, and Kaspersky scores perfect points in this field. 

A worrying sub-type of malware is ransomware. This malware acts by locking your device, taking hold of sensitive info, and asking for money in exchange. Since its debut, ransomware has cost the world billions of dollars of damage. However, their malware protection had reportedly been very successful in blocking ransomware.

• Kaspersky Cloud Protection

This feature is where Kaspersky collects data provided by your PC and uses it to develop its software for all users. However, it involves some privacy issues some might not be comfortable with.
 

• Kaspersky Password Manager
   

Ever found yourself confused about which password you used on this site? Trying to reset your password because you forgot it could grow tedious. Simultaneously, using the same password leads to the risk of getting hacked on all your accounts if one account gets hacked.

Enter Kaspersky Password Manager, a device that allows you to store up to 15 passwords, the beauty of it is, you don't even have to make the password yourself; a password manager does it for you and saves it in an encrypted format. It functions by setting a master password upon typing, which the encrypted password for each saved account is set.

Then again, 15 passwords aren't usually enough; you would need the Kaspersky Password Manager Premium for unlimited password storage, a product included in the Kaspersky Total Security plan. Another good use for Kaspersky Password Manager is the ability to save payment info in an encrypted format, allowing you to recall it from your device with your master password securely.

A web browser extension of the Kaspersky Password Manager is also useable for more effortless setting adjustment and access.
 

• Kaspersky Safe Money

As the name suggests, safe money is a feature that helps protect you from cyber theft. It detects online payment requests itself and opens a new browser window with turned-off extensions and syncing. It also provides an on-screen keyboard to use, protecting you from key logger spyware that can record keyboard strokes.
 

• Kaspersky VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) is a service where instead of connecting directly to the internet, your connection gets rerouted to appear as if you're connecting from somewhere else. It provides encryption to the outgoing data to prevent it from being stolen. The rerouting in VPN can help in accessing geo-restricted content such as Netflix streaming.

Kaspersky free VPN, which is provided on all three products, provides 200 MB per day traffic, and this can be upgraded to 300MB per day by making a free account.

Their VPN is swift and secure but lacks a location specification feature making it useless for geo-specific streaming such as Netflix. The premium version grants unlimited traffic access. However, it has to be bought separately as it is not part of any bundle.
 

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Kaspersky mobile app
 

This Android-specific feature can be downloaded for free with a good range of functionality, including active on-demand scanning and an anti-theft tool kit. The anti-theft tool kit can be used to locate your device if lost, remove all data, take a photo of attempted logs, and lock the phone if the SIM card is removed or its uninstallation is attempted without confirmation.

With the Kaspersky Internet and Total Security plans, the full version is provided. In addition, the complete Kaspersky mobile antivirus offers the bonus traits of real-time protection, app lock for specific apps when requested, and internet browsing protection from phishing scams and malicious websites.

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As users, we prefer to find what we are looking for quickly and feel comfortable using the interface. And because many other users are just like us, a friendly user interface is one of the leading antivirus software features. Additionally, at some point, users will need assistance in a technical issue or to learn about some features in-depth. So let's find out if Kaspersky offers what is needed to assist its users.
 

1. Friendly user interface

Kaspersky antivirus is easy to install with a guided procedure walking you through the whole process with a few clicks. Based on their official website, their team has spent many years developing the interface making it user-friendly, simple, and easy to use.
 

2. Customer support

Based on multiple reviews, Kaspersky's customer support had mixed reviews. Based on the method used, the response time is varied. That being said, there is a wide range of support options you can use and try. These include FAQs, e-mails sent through their website, live chat, phone calls, community forms, and social media.

Free Trial

Kaspersky has a 30-day trial period on its products, so you can try them before you decide to make a purchase.

Money-back guarantee

Kaspersky has a 30-day money-back guarantee for users to enjoy the product and decide if it meets their expectations.

Payment methods

• Visa.
• Mastercard.
• PayPal.
   

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Final Verdict

Should I buy Kaspersky antivirus? Well, that depends on a few factors. First, Kaspersky has one of the best anti-malicious ware services that are regularly updated.

That being said, many of the critical features are not included in the basic antivirus bundle, including online payment encryption, privacy features such as the anti-webcam high-jacking and anti-phishing, but rather the Internet Security bundle.

Another issue is the VPN limit of 200 MB, which can be upgraded to 300MB per day. Finally, the 15 password limit is another issue encountered, one of the traits resolved in the Total Security plan.

In my opinion, if Kaspersky is to be bought, at least the Internet Security plan should be obtained, as it offers the best value for money among the three bundles. In contrast, the Total Security plan doesn't add much value to the previous bundle.