Kaspersky Free Antivirus review

The Kaspersky free Antivirus is a computer security software. This software was designed by Kaspersky Lab, a cybersecurity and anti-virus provider headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Kaspersky Lab was founded by three individuals namely Eugene Kaspersky, Natalya Kaspersky, and Alexey De-Monderik in 1997.

Very recently, this company received recognition as a 2018 Gartner Peers Insights Customers’ Choice for Endpoint Protection Platforms. With 400 million users, Kaspersky Lab Technologies is a force to reckon with in the tech security space. The first release of the Kaspersky Antivirus software with its Freemium license was in 1997. The Kaspersky Free Antivirus 2019 release is already available for downloads. This software is compatible with various Windows-based desktops & laptops.

Kaspersky free Antivirus is used to tackle viruses from attacking PCs, block Trojans and various form of malware, and also warn about suspicious websites. This software provides necessary protection for PC.

Kaspersky Antivirus is free to use, and although it has limited features when compared to other Kaspersky security products, it successfully imitates the security feature of premium products. According to 2018 statistics, Kaspersky Lab has a 6.25% share of the tech security market.

Protection capabilities

In 2018, Kaspersky Labs was accused of spying on data on behalf of the Russian Government by the U.S. political class which led to the ban by President Trump across all federal agencies. However, we don’t find any compelling evidence to conclude that Kaspersky products are compromised and thus recommend it for protection of data and computer.

The Kaspersky Lab Antivirus (either 19.0 or lower versions) protection comes in three layers. First, the file scanner feature in the software scans the PC for local threats and recognized virus and malware. After that, heuristic analysis, an improved design on signature detection compares the scanned information examining the code for suspicious properties synonymous with known malware attacks. Lastly, Kaspersky’s online security network examines the issues and thereafter updates the user’s database for improved security measures.

Unlike many free Antivirus software, Kaspersky free Antivirus can be used to schedule a scan. It also offers to scan all inserted USB drives. A quick scan action can be performed using the software, likewise a full-system scan, custom scan, and removable drive scan.

As part of its measures of improving security, Kaspersky Antivirus collects data from the computer about location, malware threats details, etc. However, you can opt out of this feature.

German Lab, AV-Test reports that this software recorded a 100% protection against 0-day malware attacks when tested. Also, it records a 100% detection of malware discovered in the last four weeks. You can download the Kaspersky Antivirus here.

Features of Kaspersky Free Antivirus

In a bid to provide improved security performance for its users, Kaspersky Lab created this security software. In this section, we examine the features of the 2019 version of Kaspersky free Antivirus.

Scanning

This software offers a wide range of scan i.e.

• Full Scan: This is a thorough scan operation of the system as a whole, i.e., memory, loaded programs, email databases, hard drives, system backup, etc.
• Quick Scan: This is a limited scan operation in that it only scans objects loaded at the operating system startup, i.e., system memory and boot sectors. Although it may not detect some malware, it informs if the system is infected with malware.
• Custom Scan: This scan operation selectively scans the files and system folders selected by the user.
• Removable drive scan: This scan operation helps the user to protect the system against malware from external storage devices.

After scanning, all corrupted files are quarantined and repaired while all suspicious files are flagged and can be deleted.

Heuristic analysis

This software performs heuristic analysis during scan operations. Heuristic analysis is a security measure capable of detecting and combating malicious codes and software that constantly changes and adapt to the system.

Web protection (email security)

Kaspersky antivirus analyses every data sent and received on the computer network, thus ensuring a secure web browsing. It informs the user of malicious sites when browsing and also prevents the download of harmful files from the internet.

Software updater

The software has an inbuilt feature which allows it to update its software version and database without downloading another software via the website. The 2019 version of Kaspersky free antivirus has been released and can be accessed via this link.

Privacy cleaner

The privacy cleaner component on the software can be used to clean any trace to the system via web activities. This feature, however, could cause some inconvenience, i.e., it can wipe out saved settings. The recommended actions seen in this feature includes clearing cookies, browsing history, temp files for web browsers etc.

Troubleshooting

This feature can be used to check for any malware-created damage after malware cleanup on the system.

Customer support

This software offers customer support channels to its users in case of any malfunction or complaints or usage of the software.

Gaming

Kaspersky antivirus protects the computer against infiltration by malicious files and software while playing games connected to the internet. Also, it can be used to free up memory for better gaming performance. Changes are made by selecting and deselecting actions in the performance pane under the settings panel.

Compatibility

The software requires a minimum of 1.5GB free space on the system for installation and to run successfully thereafter. It is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10. It also requires a minimum processor capacity of 1GHz, 1GB RAM (32-bit) or 2GB RAM (64-bit) to function correctly.

Pros and Cons

This software has a varying number of excellent features and limitations which are:

PROS

• It is free: This software is downloadable and can be used free of charge. Although this software doesn’t offer all the features of the premium versions, it provides substantial service free of charge.
• Easy Installation: You can download this software via this link. To install, click on the installation file and a pop-up comes up asking for the preferred language. Choose the preferred language and follow all instructions to install.
• User-friendly interface: This software has a simple UI which can be easily navigated by anybody. It has a good theme color also. Every feature is easily accessible to the user.
• Real-time protection: This software offers quality protection to its users. It can be used to scan files, folders on internal hard drive and external devices.
• Automatic software updates: There is no need to access the website to download a newer version of the software. For updates, click the check for updates tool on the interface and updates are installed automatically.

CONS

• Ads pop-up: Usual popups of ads recommending an upgrade to premium versions of the software. The software shows advertisement encouraging users to unlock other features by purchasing the premium key.

Premium versions of Kaspersky Antivirus

The higher versions of this software are paid software with varying price depending on the country. These premium versions have more advanced features compared to the Kaspersky Antivirus i.e.

• Kaspersky Internet Security: Asides ensuring secured web browsing, prevention against malicious attacks, etc., this software enables the privacy feature thereby keeping the information of the user private. Also, it ensures protection when shopping online. This software has a 30-day free trial period for its users. This software can be accessed via this 
• Kaspersky Total Security: With the inclusion of the features of Kaspersky Free & Kaspersky Internet Security, this software allows parental control, ensures all files on the system are well secured. It also manages passwords in stores by synchronizing with the database. This software can be accessed via this

Product portfolio

Kaspersky Lab offers protection for home users, small businesses with 1 – 50 employees, medium businesses and enterprises. It has products for different gadgets, i.e., PC, Mac, Android Tablet, Smartphones, etc. Listed below are different products for the different classes of users.

The following are recommended for home users, i.e., Security Cloud, Internet Security, Internet Security for Mac, Internet Security for Android versions, etc.

It is recommended that small businesses use Small Office Security, Endpoint Security for Business Advanced, etc.

Various security solutions exist for medium businesses and enterprises such as Mail Server, Virtualization and Hybrid Cloud, etc.

Kaspersky Lab also offers professional services to corporate organizations in areas like Threat Intelligence, Security Awareness, etc.

Summary

The Kaspersky free antivirus is a useful software which offers PC protection at no cost. This software is compatible with most Windows operating systems. The software UI design is excellent with an attractive color theme. The icons are also well-structured. The first page contains essential features, i.e., scan, reports, database update while all other improved features can be accessed through the More Tools or settings tab.

This free software is quite similar to its premium versions except for a few features. The only common element between the free version and premium versions is that they both defend against viruses, malware, and suspicious websites. The Kaspersky free software is not recommended for work purposes as critical features are missing. This free version can be used at home, however, for highly classified work, the Kaspersky premium versions, i.e., Kaspersky Internet Security, Kaspersky Total Security are highly recommended.