As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows no signs of slowing down, hundreds of international companies are enacting various trade bans or sanctions on the country. Companies like Microsoft, Google and Apple stopped operations or pulled their products from Russian shelves.
Fears that hackers can use Russian-developed software for cyberattacks against the U.S. have also sparked a ban on products like Kaspersky’s various software offerings.
If you have any Kaspersky products installed, like its virtual private network (VPN) service, read on for instructions on how to remove them.
Here’s the backstory
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently added Kaspersky to its list of products and services it deems “a threat to national security” and urged all users to remove it and instead install an alternative.
Before the latest developments, former U.S. President Trump banned any Kaspersky products from being used in federal systems, citing a link between the company and the Russian government. The same advice goes for consumers, and we wrote an article earlier on why you should remove the antivirus immediately.
But the offerings don’t stop at antivirus, as millions of people also use its VPN service. It’s time to remove Kaspersky VPN from all of your devices.
Safely removing Kaspersky VPN
We recently shared instructions on removing Kaspersky antivirus from your device. Since then we’ve received a ton of messages asking about Kaspersky VPN. Yes, you need to stop using it and remove it from all your devices ASAP!
Here’s how to remove Kaspersky VPN from your Windows PC:
- Right-click on the Start button and click Apps and Features.
- Scroll down the list of installed applications and click on Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection. Click Uninstall.
- After the uninstallation process is complete, click Yes to restart your computer.
How to remove it from Mac:
- In the Start menu, select All applications.
- Navigate to Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection and click Remove Kaspersky VPN.
- Wait for the removal process to begin, and click on Next when prompted.
How to remove Kaspersky VPN from iPhone
- Touch and hold the app icon on your iPhone, then tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete.
- You can also use the App Library, introduced in iOS 14, to get a curated list of your apps grouped by category. Swipe past the last page of your Home screen to access it. Tap and hold the app you want to remove, then select Delete App > Delete.
How to remove Kaspersky VPN from Android
- Long-press the app icon on your Android device, then tap App Info > Uninstall.
- Or you can open the Google Play Store app and navigate to Menu > My apps & games. Tap on the app and hit Uninstall.
- Note: Samsung and OnePlus phones have an Uninstall option under the app shortcuts menu.
You don’t want to leave your devices unprotected after deleting the Kaspersky VPN. Instead, it’s time to switch to a VPN you can trust. We recommend our sponsor, ExpressVPN.
With ExpressVPN, you can browse the web safely and anonymously. It never slows down your connection. And, as a listener of The Kim Komando Show, you get three months of ExpressVPN FREE when you buy a one-year package!
Tap or click here to activate this special offer, or go to ExpressVPN.com/KIM.
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