Kaspersky Security Cloud (Free) — Good Range of Free Features

Kaspersky is a powerful antivirus scanner that provides real-time antimalware protection. It caught all the malware samples I tested.

You get many additional protections. There are many other great protections included.

While I enjoy some Kaspersky’s features, they are not my favorite. Kaspersky does not offer the essential features such as two-factor authentication (2FA), dark web monitoring, which are available in all of the best password management softwares in 2022. Although the system cleanup tools are useful, Avira and its competitors offer more options to optimize computers. Although all plans include a VPN, it offers only 200MB per day and allows users only to connect to one server (which may be slow). Backup and Restore are free with your Dropbox account. Dropbox offers 2GB storage to all users, so it’s really not worth it.

Kaspersky Total Security remains a great internet security solution. A high-quality antivirus scanner is included, along with many useful features and a reasonable price. Kaspersky is also one of the most transparent antivirus companies. After the Russian intelligence claimed that Kaspersky had been working with Russian intelligence to steal US information in 2017, Kaspersky moved its data processing centers to Switzerland and opened Transparency Centers around the globe. It passed an SOC 2 inspection and was recertified.

Kaspersky offers three pricing options, each covering 3-10 devices. You get a fantastic first year discount and a 30-day return policy for UK customers span>

• Kaspersky Antivirus Software Review

Kaspersky Full Review

Kaspersky is a powerful antivirus software that will scan your computer for viruses. It also has tons of additional features that can help you increase your online security.

Kaspersky is a very user-friendly interface, making it a great choice for people who don’t know how to code.

Kaspersky antiviruses are more affordable than other brands. However, they offer attractive payment plans with a 30-day guarantee.

Kaspersky Security Features

Antivirus Engine

Kaspersky uses a cloud-based scanner to detect malware. The cloud scanner uses machine learning to determine if the file is malware.

Top antivirus brands such as McAfee, Bitdefender, and McAfee use a variety of signature databases in combination with machine learning. Kaspersky is also a leading competitor in malware detection, it detected 100% of the malware samples I tested.

Kaspersky offers five different types of virus scans

• Quick scan. Quick scan of the system startup and system memory files. Also check for boot sectors.
• Full scan Full Scan. This scan will inspect every file, folder, and partitioned area within your system.
• Selective scanning This allows you to scan any file or drive.
• Scanning your removable drive. This program can scan removable hard drives (e.g. USB sticks, portable hard drives).
• Vulnerability scanning. To identify vulnerabilities in your system, scan it. This includes outdated software and software that is susceptible to malware.

Kaspersky offers several scan-scheduling options. You can choose to scan after an application startup or after each update.

To test Kaspersky, I installed nearly 1000 types of malware test on my computer. These included trojans rootkits and ransomware. The Quick Scan took me less than two minutes. This was very fast. This is why a Quick Scan on VIPRE took just 10 minutes. It took 5 times longer than the original scan!

Kaspersky’s Quick Scan did not find any malicious code that I had hidden on my system. This was to be expected, as it scans only critical areas such the ones loaded at the start of your OS.

Kaspersky recommended that I do a “Full Scan” to check my entire system.

Bitdefender’s one-hour scan took only 45 minutes to complete the “Full Scan.” Kaspersky provided excellent scan results. It found all malware on my system and took only 45 minutes to complete the “Full Scan”.

I was able to see all of the malware files found in “Quarantine” after the scan was complete.

Kaspersky allows you to retrieve files from infections even if they are deleted or quarantined. Although many users won’t want to, Kaspersky allows you to restore legitimate files even after they have been deleted and quarantined.

Kaspersky won’t remove malware found if it isn’t cancelled by the deadline. Kaspersky will warn you repeatedly about this. The “Notification Center”, which provides more options to deal with malware found during an interrupted scan, is accessible.

Next, Kaspersky’s Instant Protection was tested. It silently runs 24/7, scanning all apps and checking for viruses that could be harmful to Kaspersky.

My tests showed that real-time protection worked flawlessly. It immediately blocked all malware I attempted to download onto my computer. Kaspersky alerted me when it detected malware. You have the option to view more information or to immediately remove the malware.

A ransomware simulator was run, but it failed to lock any files. Kaspersky’s real time protection stopped the program.

I then used the “Vulnerability Check”, to determine if there was any unsecure software that could be exploited.

Although only two instances were found of outdated software, the “Vulnerability Scanning”, which was performed on my computer, was very thorough. The scanner detected an outdated version of Photoshop, and gave me a detailed report about my vulnerabilities. The report also included details about how and when hackers exploited that vulnerability. Kaspersky doesn’t allow you to update apps in its antivirus. Avira, a rival, has an auto-update feature that will quickly fix any vulnerabilities in your system.

Overall, Kaspersky’s anti-virus engine is excellent. It is 100% accurate with multiple scans and provides excellent security. The system doesn’t slow down when it does a full scan.

Protection for the Web

Kaspersky Protection’s web protection features work together with Kaspersky Protection in order to block fraudulent and malicious urls.

Web Anti-Virus compares the websites visited with a list of malicious web addresses. It also uses Heuristic Analysis in order to detect suspicious behavior.

Kaspersky Protection browser Extension, which comes with the software, also detects malware links. It blocks tracking, allows users to access a virtual keyboard, and marks websites as safe/unsafe.

I installed the anti-phishing extension on Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Kaspersky blocked many of the known dangerous websites I visited.

Kaspersky’s results are good, but Bitdefender and Norton did better at detecting all my test links.

Kaspersky Protection’s tracking blocking feature blocks web analytics and social network tracking. Anti-tracking can also allow for tracking of ad agencies. Users can opt to allow data collection only for certain sites. This feature is great, but I’m not happy that Kaspersky Protection (and its partners, a total of 82 websites) have the default settings. User data. It’s easy to stop Kaspersky’s partner from collecting data. But, I would like to see Kaspersky ask users questions about the extension’s installation.

The browser extension can open a virtual keyboard. Panda Dome is the only competitor that offers a virtual keyboard. However, it works well. Kaspersky offers additional protection against keyloggers, which I find really cool.

Kaspersky’s keyboard is compatible with Safe Money. Kaspersky requested my permission to test the feature on multiple banks sites. The secure browser took more than 10 seconds to load each time. Bitdefender offers Safepay as a secure web browser. It loads faster than Kaspersky’s Safe Money.

Overall, Kaspersky Web Protection features are excellent. Kaspersky’s antiphishing defense found the majority of phishing sites I tested. Kaspersky’s anti-tracking and ad blocking features are also great. However, I dislike that Kaspersky has antitracking disabled on its 80+ affiliate websites. Kaspersky’s virtual keyboard and secure browser are great for banking sites.

System Cleanup Tools

Kaspersky offers several PC cleaning tools, including Privacy Cleaner, Unused Data Cleaner and PC Cleaner.

Kaspersky’s computer cleaner searches through your system to identify browser extensions and programs you don’t use very often.

The PC Cleaner was installed on my Windows 10 laptop. It took just 2 minutes to scan my system. The results were amazing.

My PC cleaner discovered all prepackaged malware and gave me the option to remove, ignore, or run a Google search for more information.

Kaspersky’s PC cleaner lets you choose the apps it will clean. Apps that are not your consent will slow down your startup time and display banners.

Kaspersky’s Unused Data Cleaner scans files within the Recycle Bin, log files and reveals many files. There are many options for handling these files.

The Privacy cleaner cleans up your browser history, cookies and cache.

Kaspersky’s system cleanup tools are good, but I would love to see more system optimization tools from Kaspersky. You can delay system scans if your battery is low or your CPU is under high load. However, Kaspersky has good system cleanup tools. I’d love to see more system optimization tools from Kaspersky.

Kaspersky’s system cleaning tools make it easy to remove unwanted files and trace your online activities. Although they aren’t the best on the market, these tools work well and can speed up your computer a bit.

Virtual Private Network (VPN).

All Kaspersky plans include a free VPN. There is a daily limit of 200MB. The VPN does not allow unlimited browsing data. If Kaspersky’s VPN appeals to you, you can upgrade your subscription to the premium version.

Kaspersky offers premium VPN services:

• Unlimited browsing data. No data limits daily.
• Turn off the kill switch Data transfer will be stopped if VPN is lost or damaged
• Smart Protection. Smart Protection starts automatically the VPN when you connect to a network.
• Servers can be found in 25+ locations. Customers have the ability to connect to any server, even the slowest.

I wanted to see how each premium or free VPN performed during speed testing. I created speed tests for each VPN. I first disabled the VPN and then enabled it.

These are the results

You can see that I was able download at normal speeds with the free VPN. It actually increased slightly. However, I noticed a decrease in download and upload speeds. This was particularly evident when I tried to upload files to P2P networks.

The next results are for the premium VPN version connected to Kaspersky’s fastest Server:

Premium VPN made my upload speed even slower. My ping was much lower which was evident in my browsing speed. I was able to browse the internet at normal speed, even though my VPN was disabled. My download speed was also increased due ISP throttle.

Kaspersky’s premiumVPN also works with streaming services such as Netflix.

Although the free VPN is not very reliable, the premium VPN offers decent speeds and has a good number of servers around the world. This is an individual purchase, and it is not included in Kaspersky’s main antivirus package.

Password Manager

Kaspersky’s password manager secures all passwords and sensitive information (such as bank card numbers or addresses) using 256-bit AES encryption.

Kaspersky’s password manager-free edition allows you to store 15 passwords. This is not enough for most users. There is no limit to how many passwords you can store in the premium password manager. Although Kaspersky Premium Password Management is a good product, it was disappointing to only be available for the most expensive plan.

Kaspersky’s password management program must be downloaded separately from antivirus. You will need to create a master password when you start Kaspersky. If the master password is lost, Kaspersky cannot help you access your password vault. Kaspersky is a great zero-knowledge password management tool. Kaspersky offers account recovery and emergency access options. These features are also available in LastPass.

After you have successfully imported your passwords, you will need to download a browser extension (available for Chrome Firefox Yandex Edge Safari or Safari). Kaspersky’s autosave/autofill features worked flawlessly during my tests to auto-save and autofill passwords. Kaspersky supports only auto-filling bank card addresses and bank cards on computers and Macs. Mobile support is not possible.

Kaspersky’s password vault is easy to use. Every feature and option are clearly labeled so that they can be found easily. Kaspersky lets you add passwords to websites as well as documents and addresses.

Kaspersky offers a password generator which you can access through the browser extension and the app. The generator can generate passwords between 4 and 99 characters. It can also include numbers, symbols and numbers. Password managers like LastPass can handle this.

Kaspersky does not have the same features as other standalone password managers like two-factor authorization (2FA) and an auto password changer.

Kaspersky password management software has a very simple interface. If you want a secure and easy-to-use way to protect your passwords and other sensitive information then Kaspersky password management software is the right choice.

Parental Controls

Kaspersky’s parental controls (Safe Kids) are a great way for your children to be safe online.

Like the password manager, parental controls are also available as an independent application. It takes only a few minutes to set it all up. A tutorial is available on how to discuss internet safety with children.

This is what Kaspersky’s Safe Kids offers.

• Limitations in
• Application filtering.
• Social networking monitoring (Facebook & VK).
• GPS location tracking (Android & iOS only).

I was able to set up weekly computer scheduling during my testing and could also choose to block the machine when the time limit expired.

Kaspersky’s content filters worked well too. I was able to limit websites based on categories. I also had the ability to set exclusions. Safe Search can be used in order to prevent inappropriate content from being displayed in search results. This feature is available in all major browsers, including Google, Yahoo! and Bing. It can also be used on YouTube.

Apps can be blocked by categories (not available for iOS) or entertainment apps such as games.

I tried the place tracking and geofencing features of my Android phone. They were able track my exact location and send me alerts when my phone leaves designated safe areas.

Kaspersky Safe Kids provides social network monitoring, which I find refreshing. While many antiviruses provide parental controls, Kaspersky Safe Kids does not.

Kaspersky parental controls offer the most complete and comprehensive protection. Kaspersky provides guidance on how to talk with a child regarding parental restrictions.

Additional Features

Kaspersky also offers many other tools, such as

• Webcam protection.
• Backup, Restore.
• Rescue Disc.
• Data encryption & shredder.
• Gaming mode.

The webcam protection alerted me whenever I accessed an App using my laptop’s internetcam such as Zoom or Skype. Kaspersky offers this additional layer of protection against spyware but I would love to see a microphone protector. Bitdefender provides both microphone and webcam protection.

Backup and Restore gives users the option to back up files to a removable drive or to an online cloud storage site. There are two options. You can either use Dropbox (default), or connect Kaspersky with another service. This feature is not very valuable. Dropbox offers 2GB free storage to all users. To get more storage, you will need to upgrade. Kaspersky offers a backup option. Norton offers a better backup option and more storage space, without having to pay an extra service.

The Kaspersky Rescue Disc feature is very useful. This feature allows you to immediately wipe out infected computers. Download the Kaspersky Rescue Disc and save it to a USB stick or CD/DVD. Next, use the Rescue Disc to disinfect your computer. This feature is also available for Panda, ESET and Panda.

Data encryption can be used to ensure sensitive files are protected and kept safe. Data shredder can permanently delete files.

Gaming mode allows you to pause notifications and scans when you’re playing or when the app is in full screen mode. BullGuard’s gaming mode is better than Kaspersky. This game booster actually increases gameplay performance.

Kaspersky has a variety of excellent additional tools. Kaspersky should add advanced tools like identity theft protection or dark web monitoring to its premium plans. McAfee and Norton offer top-of-the line antiviruses like TotalAV or BullGuard that provide identity theft protection for US users.

Kaspersky’s additional features are a great addition considering that most antiviruses provide only basic protection against viruses. Kaspersky Backup and Restore doesn’t seem to be very useful, but I do like the Rescue Disc function to save infected computers.

Pricing and Kaspersky Plans

Kaspersky offers three packages. These packages are quite affordable considering the number of features included in each.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus allows you to choose whether to protect 3, 5, 10, or all 10 Windows computers. Kaspersky Internet Security protects 3, 5, 10 and 10 Windows, Macs and Android devices. Kaspersky Absolute Security provides protection for 5, 10, and 20 Windows, Mac, or Android devices.

Kaspersky Security Cloud Free doesn’t offer any complimentary products. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free offers a discontinued product, Kaspersky Anti-Virus Free. However, it does offer basic antivirus protection and a limited VPN.

Kaspersky is easy to use and set up

Kaspersky’s configuration and installation are very simple.

The user interface of Kaspersky looks professional. Kaspersky’s user interface looks very professional.

Kaspersky displays only the features you have access too. This is what makes Kaspersky so fascinating. Plans below the lowest tier have no grayed-out features or upgrade prompts. This is a great thing because Kaspersky makes every package feel complete.

Kaspersky’s tools can be difficult to find. You will need to click on “More Tools”, Clean, Optimize and then on “PC Cleaner”.

Once you get used to the UI interface of Kaspersky, it is very easy to use. You have many options to personalize your experience.

It is a place I love. It provides important information that allows you to make informed decisions.

It is easy to switch the functions you need on and off with the Notification Center. Notification Center is a tool that notifies you when your antivirus program is down. It also takes you to the right tool.

Kaspersky’s layout is not easy to master. It is easy to use once you are familiar with it.

Kaspersky Mobile App

Kaspersky offers a complete Android internet safety app. iPhone users have access to only the most basic security features, such as parental controls, password manager and VPN.

Security Cloud iOS

• Adaptive security Modifies settings according to user behavior. Public network connections will activate the VPN automatically.
• Security Live. iOS security fixes. Jailbreaking is an example.
• Account check. Checks your email for data breaches.

The device also includes a QR reader.

Android has many other features. My Huawei Mate 30 Lite was able to run the Android app without any problems.

Kaspersky’s Android mobile application has:

• Antivirus scanner.
• Call blocker.
• Anti-theft.
• Real-time protection.
• App lock.
• Anti-smishing (SMS phishing).
• Protection by browsing.

The program makes it easy to launch the antivirus scanner. These are the scans that you can perform:

• Quick scan. Quick scan.
• Perform a complete scan. Check for malware on the whole device.
• Scan a folder. Scanning a specific folder.

After discovering 80 malware on my smartphone, I ran an extensive scan

Kaspersky detected every malware file within 5 minutes. They are automatically quarantined by Kaspersky.

The app’s instant protection was great. It detected all my malware traces and stopped me from downloading dangerous apps from Google Play Store. This is a great feature. But, I must admit that I prefer Norton Mobile Security App Advisor. You can be warned about possible threats before you download the app.

Kaspersky identified the dangers in app downloads and quarantined them immediately, keeping my device protected.

Kaspersky’s mobile app offers anti-theft protection. You will need to create an account with Kaspersky in order for it to work.

Logging into My Kaspersky Online Hub gives you four anti-theft tools, including the ability lock/wipe the device, sound an alarm and take a photograph of the person who used it.