Kaspersky Sells Its US Operations to UltraAV: Transition for Current Subscriptions in Place

In July, Kaspersky announced its withdrawal from the US market due to restrictions imposed by the US government. The government's mandate required Kaspersky to cease updating its antivirus network by the end of September. This means that all existing Kaspersky users in the US would lose their security protection by the end of this month. Although manual updates of virus definitions are possible, this method is not deemed reliable, as it's unlikely users will perform daily manual downloads.

Today, screenshots from users have surfaced, indicating that Kaspersky has sold its US business to a relatively unknown cybersecurity service provider, UltraAV. The transition process is set to begin this month.

According to Kaspersky's statement, all existing Kaspersky users will be directly transferred to UltraAV, meaning their current subscriptions will be automatically replaced with UltraAV services. Despite its low profile in both the US and internationally, UltraAV offers a range of services including security software, encrypted tunnel services, and password managers, all through a subscription model.

The financial terms of the deal between Kaspersky and UltraAV have not been disclosed. However, UltraAV is expected to gain approximately 1 million users from Kaspersky, significantly expanding its user base.

UltraAV is a newly established entity, stemming from a split by Boston-based security software developer Aura, which announced its division into two companies. One continues Aura's mission of providing online security solutions for individuals and families, while the other, Pango Group, focuses on offering cybersecurity services to businesses and consumers.

Pango Group, the business entity behind UltraAV, is the primary organization receiving Kaspersky's 1 million US users. It remains to be seen whether UltraAV will be a rebranded and reskinned version of Kaspersky's security engine, marking a new chapter for the software under a different name.