Russian antivirus giant Kaspersky says do svidaniya to US customers with 6 months of free software: 'stay safe'

This week the Russian antivirus company Kaspersky Labs announced it is withdrawing from the United States, following a June decision by the Biden administration to ban the sale of Kaspersky software over alleged links to the Kremlin. This was the culmination of a series of restrictions imposed by the US government: In 2017 the Department of Homeland Security issued a directive banning federal agencies from using Kaspersky software, while in 2018 the same rule was applied to the US military.

Further to its recent statement, Kaspersky has now announced something of a farewell gift to its US customers: six months of free security software and updates (thanks, The Register). The way it chose to announce this was via a letter addressed «To our lovely you», which also features a green teddy bear holding a heart balloon and a «stay safe» sign, with a single tear in its eye.

Is… is Uncle Sam the baddy? The letter thanks US customers for «choosing and trusting Kaspersky throughout the years,» and goes on to say that with «Kaspersky leaving the US, we'd like to pay you back with the least we can: gifting you a selection of our security solutions for free for six months.»

The software can be downloaded on the Kaspersky site, and includes: Kaspersky Standard; Kaspersky Plus; Kaspersky Password Manager; Kaspersky Safe Kids; and Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection.

«We've always strived and remain committed to provide the best cybersecurity there is—independent, transparent and expertly managed,» says Kaspersky. «Unfortunately, for now, you have one less choice in defending yourself against online threats.»

The US ban comes into effect on September 29, after which Kaspersky will no longer be able to update the software. «Following the compliance requirements, we will be forced to stop antivirus signature and codebase updates plus disconnect apps from Kaspersky Security Network after September 29,» says Kaspersky. «Other functionality will continue working, including the core