“To top it off, this product was installed without user consent!” Prabhu added. “Users should weigh the risks of using this software and switch to an alternate solution after making a comparison with other similar products.”

Options for enterprises

Independent testing or third-party assurance is crucial in building user trust in products. For enterprises that previously relied on Kaspersky, the transition to UltraAV presents a difficult decision.

“For enterprises, permissions that allow for such sweeping changes are rarely given, and (ideally) any version change or upgrade is tightly governed,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst at Greyhound Research. “This is especially true for large enterprise customers who seldom depend on one vendor alone, plan and react to such announcements well ahead of time, and, most importantly, use the country of origin as a critical aspect of their decision-making.”