Kaspersky Internet Security

Discussion in 'Windows Virtual Machine' started by Parallels User, Oct 6, 2017.

  1. Given the uproar over Kaspersky Internet Security, does Parallels still recommend installing it?
    As a side question, how much of Parallels code development and support is Russian?
     
    Obi-Wan likes this.
  2. Obi-Wan

    Obi-Wan Junior Member

    Messages:
    17
    I meant to post awhile ago regarding my concerns about Kaspersky, though I found this post and figured I would reply here (though this is relevant independent of guest or host OS) . Some of the reasons I do not use commercial anti-malware software are that: 1. The software gives access for some party to continuously read your files, doing who knows what; 2. Many major anti-malware/anti-virus companies have had their code analyzed by foreign governments in order to sell in those countries; and 3. Some companies are distributing malicious software and have close association to foreign governments (for example with Kaspersky).

    Given the history of Kaspersky, I am astounded the US government foolishly had Kaspersky software installed on so many computers, without using common sense.

    (As a side note, two of the main threats to a computer are physical access and remote access (usually with malware delivered via a browser or email client). This is actually one reason conducting these 2 activities in a virtual machine is useful, to contain potential damage).

    I noticed "Install Antivirus for Mac" appears in the menu for Parallels Desktop:
    1. Does the software apply only to virtual machines, or to the host OS also?
    2. How can check whether or not Kaspersky or the other bundled software was already downloaded (or inadvertently installed by clicking the install menu item) by Parallels to my host (MacOS)? Is there a specific background process to check for? Where does Parallels install Kaspersky?
    3. Is there something Kaspersky related in the contents of the Parallels Desktop.app file to look for?

    If someone accidentally clicks the install button, then they will have accidentally installed malicious software onto their machine. Aside from obvious security reasons, my feedback would be as a paid user, I would not expect these kinds of advertisements as popups or menu items in software like Parallels.
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2018
  3. W.I

    W.I Member

    Messages:
    22
    Any 3rd party antivirus for Mac is unnecessary and often causes problems.
    For windows in Parallels, I just use the native windows defender, but a 3rd party AV should be Ok there.
    I don't use the internet inside Windows (I don't web browse or get email) except for Windows updates, so I don't worry much about what type of AV I have in Windows.
     
  4. Obi-Wan

    Obi-Wan Junior Member

    Messages:
    17
    While in the past I have not used any kind of third party anti-malware protection in MacOS (beyond what is builtin), I realize in hindsight that is a mistake, as the number of MacOS malware has increased significantly over the years. I am definitely considering open source tools for MacOS (take a look at "Objective See" or ClamAV). So I would disagree with your assertion that such software is unnecessary, and I don't see supporting evidence that this would cause problems any more than any other software installed on a machine. Even software that can block outgoing network connections like Little Snitch (or Objective See's open source equivalent, LuLu), can be very helpful.

    With regards to my Windows VM, I rarely use the Internet in there. If needed, I also would just use whatever tools are builtin to Windows.

    My point is independent of the type of commercial 3rd party antivirus software, they have access to read files and potentially remote access (and if they aren't open source, we can't really be sure what they are doing). Given these capabilities and the information about Kaspersky, it seems like a bad idea for Parallels to promote Kaspersky with Parallels Desktop.

    I would like to hear from Parallels about my earlier questions, and I recommend they remove the Kaspersky trial software. I think many Parallels users may unfortunately end up installing the Kaspersky software, unaware that they could be granting access to their files to unintended actors.
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2018
  5. The deafening silence from Parallels on both Kaspersky and the whole Intel thing is .. shall we say interesting? Not to cast aspersions or toss rocks but I sure wish they were as open as VMWare has been.
     
    Obi-Wan likes this.
  6. smackdaddy

    smackdaddy Bit poster

    Messages:
    2
    The paranoia about Kaspersky never ceases to astound me. No on has ever shown me a shred of verifiable evidence that Kaspersky products allow Russian intelligence actors to exfiltrate data from their customers. Not a shred. The whole bruhaha about Kaspersky reminds me of Saam Husseins alleged WMDs. The real purpose seems to me to be nothing more than an extension of the US' economic sanctions. OTOH Kaspersky products continue to demonstrably outperform competition in detecting malware and protecting end users with minimal system performance impacts. Kaspersky remains in my opinion and the opinion of many that work in the field of data security to be the best product on the market.

    Does Kaspersky collaborate with and provide backdoor access to Russian intelligence? I doubt it. No one has shown me hard evidence of it. Do Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, and a host of other US IT companies collaborate with US intelligence agencies to spy on private citizens both in and outside the USA. You bet your sweet ass they do and everyone knows it.

    Fact is, I. DON'T. CARE. if Russia is spying on me. Russia is currently a modern liberal democracy which acts responsibly in it's international relations. Russia is a former totalitarian state that works to protect it's citizens and it's sovereignty an uses it's military power sparingly and responsibly. It's not the Soviet Union any more, and I see nothing to fear from Russia, and only good things can come from building a healthy relationship with Russia as it is today.

    On the other hand, the USA is behaving more and more like a police state toward it's own citizens, and like the worst kind of 19th Century European imperial bully state toward everyone else on the planet. Look at how Australian citizen Julian Assange is being hounded to death in Bellmarsh prison, the UK's version of Guantanamo Bay! It's about time the US and it's 5-Eyes allies remembered the principles they are supposed to stand for and protect. Things like individual freedom, and public accountability. I hope it's not too late to turn things around for the English speaking world. We need to remember who we are, who our forebears were and what they lived and died for. I'm old enough to remember when people who challenged totalitarian authority in the cause of freedom would defect from Russia to the United States, not the other way around.

    China - well, now, they do scare the pants off me. I own absolutely NO Chinese software or hardware, except for an old Huawei phone my wife won't get rid of. China never stopped being a totalitarian marxist state. They just stopped being a closed economy. They still actively persecute people like me (and, hopefully, you) who are willing to challenge their own governments and political institutions publicly because we actually believe in western democratic values, like individual freedom and public accountability. I think Russia could still embrace a little more of that, but America even more so. The US needs to turn itself around and remember where it came from.

    In the meantime, I'm perfectly happy to Kaspersky on my personal use Windows VM.

    Full disclosure: I'm not a US citizen. I'm actually a citizen of a small neutral European state that has never been an empire, and only won it's freedom from one in the 20th Century. So I can afford to look down my nose at all the rest of you. At least for the present.
     

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