Kaspersky Free is a free antivirus from Kaspersky. Free Antivirus Kaspersky Free: review

In the name of the free antivirus from Kaspersky Lab -Kaspersky Free– lies the main rule of the game: you can always take advantage of the generosity of the developers. Free activation of the program lasts 365 days, then you can simply reinstall the antivirus and use it for another year, and so on ad infinitum. Download free antivirusKaspersky Free available on the Kaspersky Lab website.

Below we will look at the operation of the Kaspersky Free antivirus in detail: what functionality is offered for free use for a whole year, how to install the program, what can be configured in it, etc.

What does Kaspersky offer for free?

Free – in this case does not mean defective. Kaspersky Free is based on the same antivirus engine as Kaspersky Lab's paid products. The difference between the Kaspersky Free edition is functionality: this product is designed to provide basic computer protection. However, this is what is needed for the majority of users who use the computer for non-commercial purposes and have not crossed the path of vindictive programmers.

The following are available for free use in Kaspersky Free:

  • Full-fledged anti-virus module;
  • Real-time computer protection;
  • Web protection (checking incoming Internet traffic and blocking malicious scripts);
  • Checking software messengers to block malicious and phishing links in incoming messages;
  • Checking mail;
  • Auto-update of anti-virus databases;
  • Cloud protection Kaspersky Security Network.

As you can see, Kaspersky Free offers more than many other free antivirus products. Few of them will offer something more than the classics of the genre - an anti-virus module and real-time protection. And certainly rare security software will tinker with spam on ICQ or Skype for free.

Installing Kaspersky Free

The installation process is simple. Let's start the installation.

We agree to the developer's license.

Next comes the choice of whether or not to participate in the Kaspersky Security Network cloud protection. By working with a product like Kaspersky for free, it would be more fair to take part in cloud protection and allow Kaspersky Lab developers to use their experience in dealing with threats. Perhaps this will help someone someday and prevent problems. Whether to help software developers or not is a personal matter for everyone.

After installing the program, click "Complete" and check the launch box.

First launch of Kaspersky Free

When you first launch the program, you will be prompted to register for free via email. For a bonus in the form of antivirus technical support, we will from time to time receive email marketing masterpieces from Kaspersky Lab. But let's hold off on this matter for now.

Once in the main window of Kaspersky Free, the first thing we will do is pay attention to the license term countdown in the lower right corner.

By clicking on this countdown, we will move to the licensing window, which will contain detailed activation data, as well as the ability to later switch to extended protection - functional edition Kaspersky Internet Security.

Updating anti-virus databases

Returning to the main window, the next step is to update the anti-virus databases. Already in the main window of the program we will see the status of the update module - “The databases have not been updated for a long time”. Let's fix this - press "Update".

And we update the anti-virus databases.

Anti-virus scan

In addition to the update module, in the main window we will see another one available in the free edition of Kaspersky Free - anti-virus scan.

In the anti-virus scanning section we will find traditional scanning modes:

  • Full scan, including all areas of the computer;

  • Quick scan, which checks startup programs and services, objects in system memory;

  • Custom scan – scanning mode for individual files;

  • Scanning external devices – anti-virus scanning mode for storage devices connected to the computer (flash drives, external hard drives, SD cards).

Real-time protection

If threats are detected, Kaspersky Free will notify you about this in the information window in the lower right corner of the screen and place the files in quarantine.

The red color of the program interface will also indicate a security threat.

The preset settings of Kaspersky Free provide for starting a search for rootkits in the system after detecting and neutralizing viruses.

Quarantine and other additional tools

Among the additional tools of the free Kaspersky Free

we'll see a little. This is a monthly report on the operation of the antivirus, a section on switching to paid versions of Kaspersky products, a section on enabling and disabling Kaspersky Security Network cloud protection, as well as quarantine.

It is in the additional tools that the quarantine is hidden, where you will need to go to restore controlled files that the antivirus may mistakenly regard as dangerous. You can also visit quarantine to remove detected threats if they are unnecessary files.

Kaspersky Free settings

Access to the settings is provided by a button in the lower left corner of the main window.

The antivirus is preinstalled already optimally configured. As we see in the first tab "Are common", Kaspersky Free is configured to launch automatically along with Windows and provides for quarantining detected files before deleting them.

In the second tab "Protection" If necessary, we can temporarily refuse some Kaspersky Free security modules.

Next tab "Performance"- a rare occurrence, even in an antivirus, or in any other program. However, if we are talking about products from Kaspersky Lab, which are famous for their gluttony of computer system resources, this configuration tab is very useful. It provides pre-installed options:

  • Refusal of scheduled anti-virus scans for laptops in energy saving mode;
  • Performing scheduled checks while the computer is idle;
  • Low priority use of system resources during Windows boot;
  • Automatically launch a search for rootkits after detecting malware.

The option to give priority to the use of system resources to other computer programs when the load on the processor or hard drive is high is not preinstalled, but it is possible to install manually. This option can be enabled on older or low-power devices.

In the tab "Examination" Instead of the preset automatic selection of Kaspersky Free actions when threats are detected, we can set one specific one for all cases in a row - only informing about the threat, only treatment, treatment and, as a last resort, removal or deletion in each case. The preset automatic selection is the best option, and users with little computer experience are unlikely to change these specific settings. But you can refuse to check external connected devices. If flash drives, SD cards or other storage media are connected only to trusted other devices, why be distracted by refusing to scan every time. If you plan to work in a dangerous environment - visiting sites with a dubious reputation, installing and testing third-party software, you can move the security level slider from recommended to high.

In the last tab "Additionally" We will find sections with other software settings.

We will consider some of them separately.

Adding files to Kaspersky Free exceptions

In order for the antivirus to leave alone and not terrorize a controlled file that is mistakenly considered malicious, this file must be added to the exceptions. In the settings tab "Additionally" select a section "Threats and Exceptions".

By clicking the option "Configure exceptions", in the exceptions window that appears at the bottom, click the button "Add".

In the first field, use the browse button to indicate the path to the file. This file will not participate in anti-virus scanning in the future, nor will it be accessed by other Kaspersky Free modules whose checkboxes are preset in the "Protection components". Press the button "Add" at the bottom of the window.

Using the same principle, you can add executable program files to the exclusion list by clicking in the “ Threats and exceptions" option "Specify trusted programs".

Storage of quarantine objects

By default, Kaspersky Free provides a month-long storage period for files in quarantine. You can change this period in the settings tab "Additionally" by selecting a section “Reports and Quarantine”.

In addition to choosing a more or less long period for storing objects in quarantine, we can configure its cleaning not according to time, but as it is filled with data. To do this, you need to uncheck the option to store objects over time and select the option to limit the quarantine size, indicating the allowed volume in MB in the field.

Refusal to animate the interface

Where animation of the software interface is certainly useless is in the case of antiviruses, and especially with Kaspersky Lab antiviruses. On weak devices it is better to abandon effects for the sake of performance. In the settings tab "Additionally" select a section "View" and uncheck the preset animation checkboxes.

Pausing Kaspersky Free protection

In case the vigilance of protective modules needs to be temporarily put to sleep, for example, in order to install dubious software without obstacles, Kaspersky Free provides a convenient tool for pausing protection. In the context menu on the Kaspersky Free icon in the system tray, click "Pause protection" and select one of the proposed options - suspension for a certain time, for an indefinite time, or until the first reboot.

If you wish, you can now find several dozen free antiviruses, most of which are products of large companies with reduced functionality for home users. Until recently, this whole matter did not concern Kaspersky, which, thanks to the right marketing strategy, sold well to Russian-speaking computer users who believe that Yandex is the Internet, and Kaspersky has become synonymous with antivirus. But something happened in mid-2015, the company's management decided to release a completely free antivirus (that is, not promotional keys or special free versions of the program promoted by other Internet-related companies), which became available for download to users in early 2016 of the year. It's called free antivirus from Kaspersky - .

Before installing the antivirus, make sure that the computer is connected to the Internet, because you will only launch the shell, which will download all the necessary files and organize them into folders. In the first two steps of installation, you need to agree to the license agreement and allow/deny the use of Kaspersky Security Network (this is something like a cloud antivirus with which you can check a suspicious file for viruses that have not yet entered the main antivirus database and get more efficient updates). I recommend refraining from using Kaspersky Security Network, because you will not be able to control what exactly the program sends to the cloud. After which you can brew tea and go about your business. Why, you ask, just 160-180 megabytes of files will be downloaded from the Internet, plus a lot of time will be spent on installing several components necessary for the normal operation of the antivirus. After 15-20 minutes of waiting, provided that you have fast Internet, you can finally click the “Finish” button and if you did not uncheck any boxes, the antivirus will automatically start.

But this is not the end of your adventures in launching Kaspersky Free for the first time; the program will immediately try to force you to create an account on the Kaspersky website in order to be the first to receive the latest and most important information from the virus front. Believe me, you absolutely don’t need this, you’ll just receive even more spam via email with completely unnecessary information. But you will have to do this with grit, so that every time you start your computer, Kaspersky Free does not please you with a pop-up reminder about the need to register the program.

Before directly describing the program's capabilities, I would like to whine about the amount of data that the user is forced to download from the network during installation. If we go back 15 years ago, operating systems were quietly obsessed with 150 megabyte hard drives, completely covering all user needs, plus there was still room for programs. That is, a modern antivirus with basic functionality requires more space than operating systems from the past (some modern Linux distributions). Also, the volume of downloaded installation files for the free Kaspersky Free is no different from the paid Kaspersky Internet Security. It turns out that the developers slightly corrected the installation script so as not to install unnecessary components, and corrected the module responsible for checking the license.

At first I wanted to write what was cut from Kaspersky Free, but it turned out to be easier and faster to write what the developers left. Users have at their disposal a file antivirus that checks all opened and launched files, modules responsible for checking mail, data sent/received from the network, and a resident module that constantly hangs in memory and scans the entire data stream for viruses and other potentially dangerous things, plus monitors running processes so that they don’t go where they shouldn’t. Kaspersky simply cut out the junk, the existence of which 95% of users do not even know, leaving the basic functionality that will reliably protect the computer from viruses and other electronic infections.

Kaspersky Free looks like a twin brother of the paid Kaspersky Internet Security, which only has some items and buttons blocked or cut out. In the main window, users can force update the program and run a scan of their computer disks for viruses. The promising “More functions” button is almost completely useless in the free version; through it you can get to the “On-screen keyboard”, Kaspersky Security Network statistics, install or trial version of Kaspersky Internet Security and the most useful item, access quarantined files.

Everything else is hidden in the settings, where you can disable unnecessary protection elements, adjust the security level, how Kaspersky Free will affect the overall performance of the computer, configure an exception (which folders and files the antivirus should not pay attention to) and a dozen other parameters. You can get to the settings through an inconspicuous gear-shaped button in the lower left corner of the main window. There is also a button to the support section, although it’s more for show; no one is going to help users of the free version of the antivirus or answer questions.

It is not surprising, but Kaspersky Free takes up little space in RAM and loads the computer quite moderately. It goes without saying that an anti-virus database and a heuristic analyzer are used, just like paid products, which consistently rank among the top in various ratings, so the computer will be reliably protected from all kinds of infections.

If you are an ardent supporter of Kaspersky antiviruses, then Kaspersky Free will be a real godsend for you, getting your favorite antivirus completely free, albeit with slightly reduced functionality. The rest can simply install it and try it in action, if they like registering it in their system, if not, then simply delete it and forget it.

Please note that for now Kaspersky Free is available only to residents of Ukraine and Russia. Plus, the installed program comes with a free license key (yes, don’t be surprised, although the program is free, it has a full-fledged license module, users simply automatically receive a license key for free) for a period of one year, which after this period is not clear, a new one will be automatically issued key or.

The antivirus works on 32 and 64 bit versions of the operating system. The interface of only the program has been translated into Russian and Ukrainian, which, however, is not surprising, given that Kaspersky Free is available for use only by residents of Russia and Ukraine.

Page for free download of Kaspersky Free http://www.kaspersky.ru/free-antivirus

Latest version at the time of writing Kaspersky Free

Program size: installation file 1,963MB

Compatibility: Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8, 10 and Windows XP

At the end of 2015, Kaspersky Lab first introduced the free product Kaspersky Free Antivirus (KFA). What the free Kaspersky antivirus is, how to download, install and configure, you will learn from this detailed review.

The antivirus is available to Windows and MacOS users; there is also a version for Android tablets and smartphones. The license for free Kaspersky Anti-Virus is issued for one year (365 days).

Kaspersky Free- a full-fledged and free antivirus from Kaspersky Lab. It will protect computer users from threats, primarily those who are unable to purchase paid products, and of course, will appeal to fans of free software.

Review of Kaspersky Free Antivirus

Currently, there are a lot of free antivirus programs on the market, and Kaspersky Lab seems to have decided to squeeze out its competitors who produce Free versions of their products.

Read also: review of free antivirus from Microsoft -. One of the best free antivirus programs.

How to download and install?

First, go to the official Kaspersky website, to the Free Antivirus section - http://www.kaspersky.ru/free-antivirus And click on the red “Install protection for free” button.

Let's go through the available KFA points and study the program better. This is what the main screen of the free Kaspersky antivirus looks like:

Kaspersky Free antivirus tools

First of all, let’s go to Tools, to do this, click on the green button in the center “More functions”. In fact, there are no special functions here, only the basic and most necessary ones.

  • Reports - by clicking on "Details" we will see how many threats were detected and for what time, malware was destroyed, when the system was scanned and when the antivirus was last updated.
  • Extension of protection - here it is suggested to buy Kaspersky Internet Security, or download a trial version, the icons show the advantage of KIS over the free Kaspersky Free.
  • Cloud protection - this tab shows data from the Kaspersky Security Network cloud service, which is also responsible for the reputation of sites on the network.
  • On-screen keyboard - prevents input from the hardware keyboard from being intercepted. By entering passwords and other confidential data in this way, keyloggers (programs that record keystrokes on the keyboard) will not steal information, as they can with a hardware keyboard.
  • Quarantine is the last tab in the Tools window. Here are files moved by the antivirus that were deleted or changed during the treatment process.

The remaining items (gray) are not available in the free version of Kaspersky antivirus; if you click on this item, you will again be prompted to switch to advanced protection (KIS):


  • Protection - 4 antivirus modules are shown here (file, mail, web and IM client antiviruses). Here you can disable each of these and return them to work. To go to advanced settings, just click on the name of the desired one and additional parameters will open.
  • Productivity - here each sub-item is given a brief description of what it is responsible for. Also, some sub-items are checked by default. If you are very interested in this, read each point and get to know each other better, but still, changing the settings selected by the program is not recommended.
  • Scan - security level parameters, action when a threat is detected, and system scan schedule are located here. In the latter, it is possible to set a full check for every day, weekend, or enable a monthly check. There is also an advanced setting for full and quick checks; it is not recommended for inexperienced users to change anything there.
  • Additionally - in this tab you can change such parameters as the update schedule, enable/disable notifications, quarantine storage time and maximum volume, additional security features, program design, which includes: animation of the tray icon and smooth window transition.

Updates

If you go to the "Update" menu in the main program window, you can see when the last antivirus update was performed. There you can also change the startup mode and disable automatic updates. In addition, it is possible to update the databases manually.

  • Full scan - all areas of the computer are scanned. This type of verification takes a long time.
  • Quick scan - basic check of running processes. Doesn't take much time.
  • Custom scan - it is possible to specify the scan of individual files.
  • Checking external devices - it is suggested to check connected devices, for example a USB flash drive or.

"Task Manager" shows the status of the current scan, if enabled, and the report of recent scans. Below you can change the check schedule.

To start scanning the operating system for threats, just select a full or quick scan and click the "Run scan" button:

Upon completion of the scan, a report is provided on the number of threats found (if any), neutralized, scanned files and the time it took to scan the computer.

Support

Unfortunately, it is not possible to receive technical support assistance by phone or through the request form on the website in the free Kaspersky antivirus. However, at the bottom, next to the antivirus settings, there is this icon:

Clicking on it will open the “Kaspersky Lab Support” window, which provides links to answers to frequently asked questions, recommendations for setting up an antivirus program, a user forum, and also problem monitoring (collecting technical information about the operation of the OS and antivirus).

How to pause protection?

To pause protection, just right-click on the Kaspersky Free icon in the tray, next to the clock.

In the window that opens, select the desired item and click the corresponding button.

As you can see, there is a choice to pause protection for a specified time; just click on the arrow and select what you need from the drop-down list. Next, pause until the computer is rebooted, then the next time you boot, the antivirus will automatically return to protection mode. And the last point is to pause, here the user will have to manually return the protection.

Uninstalling Kaspersky Free antivirus

In principle, there should be no problems with uninstalling the free Kaspersky antivirus, but if for some reason the standard method through “Uninstall a program” in the Windows control panel does not allow this, then it is possible to use a special utility, find it on the Kaspersky website not that difficult.

An even simpler option: use the instructions, you will definitely find the answer to your question there.

Conclusion

At the end of this review, I would like to note the simplicity and reliability of the free antivirus Kaspersky Free. The interface is quite friendly and will not be difficult to understand even for an inexperienced computer user. The reliability of Kaspersky has already been proven by time.

If you are a fan of free antiviruses, then you will not regret trying Kaspersky Free; it is an excellent choice among the free products. There are no unnecessary functions that interfere with the user (which you won’t find in most analogues) and the computer always remains protected.

Hello everybody. As you remember in one of the previous articles (), we removed Avast antivirus. Deleted completely, got rid of unnecessary files. Today, instead of removing Avast, we will install a free version of Kaspersky antivirus. Previously, only a 30-day trial version was available. After which you will need to pay for the license. Today we will install Kaspersky Free Anti-Virus and scan our computer for viruses.

So, in order to download the free version of Kaspersky anti-virus, let’s go to the official website (kaspersky.ru) and select from the main menu item Products paragraph Free services.

After this, we are taken to a page where all free Kaspersky services are presented.

Here we are offered a free online scan of our computer for viruses. To do this, just click on the “ Check».

We are interested in installing Kaspersky Free. For more information, click on the link " More details" To download the free version, click the button " Download»

The installer for this program will be downloaded. Launch it, double-click on it.

Installing Kaspersky Free

The standard Kaspersky Free installation procedure will start.

We accept the license agreement

That's it, the program has been installed successfully. Check the checkbox Launch Kaspersky Free and press Complete.

Account registration

After we have completed the installation of the antivirus program, we will be prompted to create an account for the convenience of using Kaspersky products.

The free version gives you the right to use this version for 1 year (365 days).

To create an account, click on the appropriate button.

Next, we indicate the real address where the letter will be sent in the future with a link to activate the account. Pay special attention to the password: it must be at least 8 characters, containing numbers and letters of different case. Please check the box indicating that you accept the Privacy Statement.

Activation was successful. To complete registration, go to your mailbox specified during registration and when you receive a new letter, click on the link to activate your account.

We will be transferred to the activation page where we will be asked to enter a password. Enter it and enter your personal account.

Here you can ask a security question to recover your password if you forget your password. And also connect a new device for protection and add a program.

After installation, the antivirus will automatically start scanning your data.

Kaspersky Free antivirus settings

We have installed it, created an account, and now let’s look at some of the program’s parameters.

To go to settings, click on the gear at the bottom of the window.

A page with program settings, located in tabs, will open.

1 tab - Are common.

General settings are presented here: whether to launch the program at system startup, whether to perform automatic recommended actions.

2 tab - Protection

Here you can disable or enable some program components. By default, all services are enabled. Each service has a description of what it is responsible for, so we won’t repeat it here.

3 tab - Performance

Here are settings to improve the performance of both the program itself and the system. Let's leave it as is.

4 tab -

Here you can indicate the level of your security. It is recommended to set it to "Recommended"

You can also specify the action when connecting devices such as an external drive, flash drive, etc. to your computer.

The program allows you to set a schedule for checking your data. Click on the “Scan Schedule” link and you can set a time for both a quick scan and a full scan. Let's set a time for Quick Check. Select this item.

We indicate how often to run the check and at what time. A tick indicates that if the computer was turned off at the time specified above, the scan will begin the next time the computer starts. Click Save. That's it, now the antivirus will run the scan according to the schedule.

Let's finish here. Summarize. Today we installed the free version of Kaspersky antivirus, created an account, and also looked at its basic settings

Good luck to everyone and happy upcoming men's holiday - February 23rd. Good mood, good luck and cheerfulness to everyone.

Three people are always watching you: from above - God, inside - conscience, outside - people.

Bakhtiyar Melik ogly Mamedov