Kaspersky replaces Free Antivirus with Security Cloud Free

Internet users who try to download the free antivirus solution Kaspersky Free Antivirus from the Russian security company are redirected to the Kaspersky Security Cloud Free download page instead.

The Russian company released Kaspersky Free Antivirus in 2016 to select regions and began the worldwide rollout of the free software program in 2017.

The free antivirus solution evolved over time, in no small part caused by changing requirements of computer users. Kaspersky Free evolved to a different program and Kaspersky made (German blog article) the decision to change the name to better reflect the program's functionality.

Kaspersky Security Cloud Free was born and it has replaced the classic Antivirus Free solution already on the Kaspersky website.

Note: While Kaspersky Free Antivirus is no longer available, it is still working and Kaspersky revealed that it has no immediate plans to stop supporting the program with antivirus definitions. For now, the solution should work just like before.

The classic free antivirus solution offered limited functionality. It included protection against viruses and could protect emails and web browsing next to that. Upgrades were available to add more protections and security tools.

Kaspersky Security Cloud Free offers comparable functionality for the most part. Core differences include that the solution is also available for the mobile operating systems Android and iOS, and that the VPN service Kaspersky Secure Connection is included automatically (but limited to 200 Megabytes per day of traffic).

Android users may use the free version to manage application permissions and remove unwanted apps from the device.

Kaspersky integrated additional tools into the application. Many of these are reserved for the commercial personal or family plans but some are available in the free version. Tools that are provided to free users include a file shredder to securely delete files, a utility to clean unused data or activity traces, and a Windows troubleshooter designed to analyse the impact that a successful malware attack had on a system.

Closing Words

Free remains free, that is a good thing especially since Kaspersky Free Antivirus users will continue to receive signature updates for the application for the time being.

When I see cloud, I assume that more data flows between the application and servers on the Internet. Whether that is the case here as well remains to be seen. Free users don't really get more functionality, apart from the barely usable free version of Secure Connection, some tools, and the mobile apps.

Now You: What is your take on the change?