Critical Fix 2 for Kaspersky 2011

Kaspersky has finally released Critical Fix 2 for Kaspersky Anti-Virus (KAV) and Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) 2011. Critical Fix 2 has already been released once, back in early October, but was removed from the server after a few days without explanation.

Critical Fix 2 eliminates many problems with Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Kaspersky Internet Security 2011. The re-release – build 11.0.2.556 (a.b) does not include new functionality, but it does fix a number of bugs and compatibility problems. Problems with the firewall and with the spam filter for The Bat! and Thunderbird email clients have been fixed in KIS 2011. The release notes for Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011 and Internet Security 2011 CF2 also refer to improvements to the way rootkits are dealt with.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Internet Security 2011 do not update to Critical Fix 2 automatically – the 110 MB installation package needs to be downloaded manually. In tests done by The H's associates at heise Security, it was not possible to simply upgrade – the currently installed build 400 had to be uninstalled first before installing the new CF2. Users are, however, offered the option of preserving existing settings when uninstalling a previous version.

In contrast to CF1, Critical Fix 2 cannot be installed without removing the previous version. The current installation package contains two additional revisions not present in the short-lived October version. The online installation package contains signatures from 28th November. Users who installed October's build 556 should already have received revisions (a) and (b) via the auto-update function and should not need to reinstall the software.

See also:

• Critical Fix 1 for Kaspersky 2011, a report from the H.

(crve)