Kaspersky antivirus software uninstalls itself, installs different company’s cybersecurity program [Video]

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has uninstalled its popular antivirus software from U.S. users’ computers, automatically replacing it with a completely different program from completely different company UltraAV. Kaspersky customers are not happy.

Rolled out in an update on Sept. 19, Kaspersky’s unilateral swapping of users to UltraAV quickly garnered many confused and upset reactions online. Numerous people took to social media to complain about UltraAV being automatically installed on their computer without their consent, as well as express dissatisfaction at how the transition was handled. Some even voiced suspicion regarding the unfamiliar antivirus software, speculating that it was malware and demanding to know how to uninstall it.

Yet despite customers’ complaints, Kaspersky’s handoff to UltraAV didn’t come entirely out of the blue. 

Kaspersky had already announced plans to pull out of the U.S.earlier this year after the Russian cybersecurity company was banned from continuing to operate in the country. As such, Kaspersky informed …