Kaspersky screws up, offers update that kills internet access for Windows XP users

Ron

Kaspersky

Those who are using Kaspersky’s antivirus software and running Windows XP were faced with an unexpected problem last night, as a new antivirus update disabled Internet connectivity forcing the company to hurry up and release a workaround.

Apparently, this issue was caused by an antivirus update, which affected those who were using Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows Workstations 6.0.4 MP4, Kaspersky Endpoint Security 8 for Windows, Kaspersky Endpoint Security 10 for Windows, Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 and 2013, and Kaspersky Pure 2.0.

We apologize for the inconvenience. It does appear that there was a hiccup with an update pushed out causing Windows XP machines to lose Internet connectivity. An update was just released that should address the issue, what I will need you to do is:

To get XP users Internet connectivity (temporarily), please disable the Web AV component of your protection policy for your managed computers. After doing so;
In Security Center (or Admin Kit):

1) Go to the Repositories section >> (Right click) Updates >> All Tasks >> Clear updates repository.
2) Go to the Repositories section >> (Right click) Updates >> Download Updates

After taking this step, please run your group update task for Managed Computers. After the update has been pushed to your workstations, please re-enable your Web AV component in your protection policy. This should resolve the issue.

Apparently, numerous subscribers went to the Kaspersky forums to ask for support, but were not given instant answers. Several of them had some harsh things to say about the company. “I just wanted to thank the good folks at Kaspersky for insuring that my hospital has either crippled or no AntiVirus. The workaround of disabling A/V is outright stupid,” one commenter stated. Apparently, a database update caused this error. “Kaspersky Lab would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused by this database update error. Actions have been taken to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future,” the company explained.