Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a security software maker whose products, including Kaspersky Internet Security, appear on household computers, phones and tablets. It is not emergency kit in the way a torch or a water container is, but it is part of how a household stays safe online, and online safety matters more, not less, when an emergency pushes everyday life onto the internet: paying a bill during a power cut, checking a flood warning, or replacing a lost document.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) describes an antivirus product as a program designed to detect and remove viruses and other kinds of malicious software from your computer or laptop, and advises always using antivirus software and keeping it up to date to protect your data and devices¹. That is the job Kaspersky's home products do. What follows is what a household should know about them, how to keep them working through a power cut or broadband outage, and where to get help in the UK if something gets through.

What Kaspersky makes for UK households

Kaspersky's home range is security software: antivirus and internet security products that run on a household's computers, and products for phones and tablets. The NCSC's definition is the clearest way to understand what the software is for: it detects and removes viruses and other kinds of malicious software from your computer or laptop¹. It is not a physical item you store in a cupboard, and it does nothing for you in a power cut beyond sitting ready on the device until the power returns.

That matters for how you plan. A household preparing for emergencies tends to think in terms of things that run out: water, batteries, food. Security software does not run out in the same way, but it does go stale. The NCSC advises always using antivirus software and keeping it up to date to protect your data and devices, and says applying updates is one of the most important things you can do to protect your devices¹. A copy of Kaspersky that has not been updated for months is weaker than one that updates itself whenever the household is online.

The devices it protects are the same ones a household relies on in an emergency: the laptop you use to check a flood warning or a power cut map, the phone you use to call family, the tablet a child uses. The NCSC lists the kinds of connected devices now common in UK homes, including smartphones, tablets, smart speakers, smart TVs, doorbells, baby monitors, security cameras, fitness trackers and smart domestic appliances such as light bulbs, kettles, thermostats, fridges and washing machines⁵. Kaspersky's home products are aimed at the computers and mobile devices in that list, not the appliances.

Home security software: what it does for a household

Antivirus software is a program designed to detect and remove viruses and other kinds of malicious software from your computer or laptop¹. In practice, for a household, it does three things that bear on emergency preparedness.

First, it gives you a way to check a device after a scare. The NCSC says the easiest way to confirm an infection on a PC or laptop is to run an antivirus scan and see if it detects anything⁶. If someone in the house clicks a link in a text about a missed parcel, or opens an attachment they should not have, the first practical step is to open the antivirus software, run a full scan and allow it to clean up any problems it finds⁷.

Second, it is part of recovering from an infection. After fixing an infection, the NCSC advises following its guidance on setting up devices securely, checking the device is encrypted, and for PCs and laptops making sure you have antivirus and installing security updates as soon as they are available, ideally by setting them to install automatically².

Third, it is one layer, not the whole defence. The NCSC's ransomware guidance for home users says to keep your operating system and apps up to date, apply software updates promptly, and make sure your antivirus product is turned on and up to date⁸. It also notes that Windows and macOS have built in malware protection tools which are suitable for this purpose⁸. Kaspersky is an alternative to those built-in tools, not a replacement for updates, strong passwords or backups.

Password and privacy tools

Kaspersky's home products sit alongside, rather than replace, the password habits the NCSC recommends. The NCSC encourages people to use password managers, which can create strong passwords for you and remember them⁹. A password manager can synchronise passwords across your different devices and give compromise warnings that a password has been breached or leaked⁹. A third-party password manager is usually an app installed on your phone or tablet, also available via a website, and can synchronise passwords across a mix of different browsers and devices⁹.

For the passwords themselves, the NCSC's advice is to combine three random words to create a single memorable password, for example CupFishBiro¹⁰. The same advice applies to connected devices in the home: consumers should create a secure password, for example by combining three random words⁵.

A passkey is a newer option: it lets you sign in with a digital key protected by your device's existing unlock method, such as fingerprint, face check or passcode⁹. None of this is unique to Kaspersky, and the NCSC's guidance is written for any household, whatever software it runs.

Installing Kaspersky on household devices

Install Kaspersky on the devices you would reach for in an emergency first: the laptop or desktop used for banking and official websites, and the phones and tablets family members rely on. The NCSC's advice for setting up devices securely is to make sure PCs and laptops have antivirus and to install security updates as soon as they are available, ideally by setting them to install automatically².

On phones and tablets, be clear about what you are getting. The NCSC says antivirus products do not work in the same way on phones and tablets as on PCs and laptops, and that the safest solution to an infection is a factory reset, usually found in Settings². After fixing an infection, follow the NCSC's advice for setting up your devices securely and keeping them safe, and check that your device is encrypted³.

Keeping protection up to date

Updates are the part of security software that matters most over time. The NCSC says software and app updates contain vital security updates to help protect your devices from cyber criminals¹², and that installing updates is one of the most important things you can do to prevent your account from being hacked¹³. Applying updates to your apps and device software as soon as they are available is a recovery step in its own right, because updates include protection from viruses³.

For a household, the practical routine is short:

• Set updates to install automatically where the device allows it².
• Check the antivirus is turned on and up to date after any long outage⁸.
• Apply updates to apps and device software as soon as they are available³.
• Keep the operating system and apps up to date, applying software updates promptly⁸.

A power cut or broadband failure interrupts this. Protection already installed keeps running, but new updates wait until the connection returns. When the power comes back, check the device and let it update before you use it for anything important. For more on getting through an outage, see Power Cuts: A Household Guide and Cyber Attacks and Major IT Failures: A Household Guide.

Safety notices and official UK guidance

There are no safety notices or recalls for Kaspersky products in the official UK guidance available here. What the official guidance does say is how to respond when something goes wrong, and that advice applies whatever security software a household runs.

If you think your device has been hacked or you opened a suspicious link, open your antivirus software if you have it and run a full scan, allowing it to clean up any problems it finds⁷. If you have received a suspicious message, it is probably a phishing attempt¹⁴. If the message arrived on a work laptop or phone, contact your IT department and tell them what has happened⁷.

If you have lost money, tell your bank straight away and report it to Report Fraud, or in Scotland contact Police Scotland¹³. Report Fraud is the UK's reporting centre for cyber crime, and reporting helps the NCSC and law enforcement reduce criminal activity¹⁵. If you think an account has already been hacked, the NCSC's guidance on recovering a hacked account starts with the account provider's website and its help or support pages¹⁶.

Support and subscriptions

Support for Kaspersky products comes from Kaspersky itself. The NCSC's general advice for a specific device is to refer to the support area within the manufacturer's website for detailed instructions about updating it⁵. The same applies to installing, renewing or removing Kaspersky software: use Kaspersky's own support pages.

For a household, the subscription question is really a planning question. A licence that lapses leaves the device relying on whatever protection is built in. The NCSC notes that Windows has a built in malware protection tool, Microsoft Defender, which is suitable for the purpose¹⁷, and that Windows and macOS have built in malware protection tools which are suitable⁸. If a subscription ends, the household is not unprotected, but it should know which tool is now doing the job.

Free official guidance is available alongside any paid product. Cyber Essentials is free to download and provides essential guidance to safeguard against common cyber threats like phishing, malware and ransomware¹⁸. For the wider household plan, see Getting Started: Preparing Your Household for an Emergency.

Where to get help after a scam or hack

If a scam or hack gets through, the order of steps matters.

1. Run a full antivirus scan and let it clean up what it finds⁷.
2. If you have lost money, tell your bank straight away and report it to Report Fraud, or in Scotland contact Police Scotland¹³.
3. Report the message: emails to report@phishing.gov.uk, texts to 7726¹⁹.
4. If an account has been hacked, go to the account provider's website and search its help or support pages for the recovery process¹⁶.
5. If the message came to a work device, tell your IT department⁷.

For a phone or tablet infection, the NCSC says the safest solution is a factory reset, usually found in Settings⁶. For a PC or laptop, update your device and programs, open your antivirus product and run a scan, then follow its advice⁶. Back up your most important data, such as photos and key documents, to an external hard drive or a cloud-based storage system³. For more on preparing for and recovering from online incidents, see Cyber Attacks and Major IT Failures: A Household Guide and Staying Informed and in Touch in an Emergency: A Household Guide.