Today we’re happy to announce a partnership with Kaspersky to help secure customer data. With online collaboration tools becoming central to remote and distributed work in modern organizations, risks of malicious files spreading over the internal network have to be mitigated. The secure, on-premises content collaboration technology from Nextcloud integrates Kaspersky Scan Engine, the company’s integrated security product to automatically scan files when they are uploaded and ensure no dangerous files can spread.
Anti-virus
Nextcloud has had an anti-virus app using the open source ClamAV engine to scan files on upload and periodically in storage for a long time. But ClamAV has its limitations and large customers have been asking about more enterprise-ready options for a while. Together with Kaspersky,
we now have such a solution. It requires an on-premises Kaspersky Scan Engine, which can be purchased via Nextcloud, and a special version of our anti-virus app capable of interfacing with the Kaspersky Scan Engine.
The cross-platform nature of Nextcloud, with clients on mobile and desktop operating systems, means users can unknowingly upload and share infected files that might not affect their device, or even intentionally try to spread them through a public Nextcloud instance. The integrated anti-virus scan will intercept and block the upload on the server side, making sure the file is not distributed to other users.
The integration of Kaspersky anti-malware technology into Nextcloud’s product provides its customers with the certainty that files accessed through or downloaded from their content collaboration platform will be secure. It is extremely difficult for businesses to fight millions of web threats on their own – that’s why technology partners are needed. Together we can make our online world safer.
– Alexander Karpitsky, Head of Kaspersky Technology Alliances, Kaspersky.
About Kaspersky
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com
Is Kaspersky an online/cloud or offline scanner (from view of the nextcloud instance). If Kaspersky only scans files with the answer “ok” and “not ok” and does to communicate to other locations in the internet i think it is ok.
Nextcloud is AGPL. Perhaps someone can post the interface to Kaspersky (hopefully only download program and download virus signatures).
It is not nessessary (and a high risik) that a virus scanner is allowed to access the internet. Update virus signatures and Kaspersky software could be done with third party software from Nextcloud (AGPL) without Kaspersky. But i think because my Nextcloud has access to the internet, i think i can not deny internet access for the virus scanner. Sorry.
No closed source software on my Nextcloud server is allowed to communicate from my Nextcloud to the internet. Perhaps other user can solve it e.g. with docker or application firewalls.
Yea. I want to know the intention of Nextcloud. Are they naiv? Or do they have a good plan in mind we can’t comprehend? I think not. But the Intention of Kaspersky and it’s
Over 400 million users [that] are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them.
Let me summarize the news article for you: It’s possible to scan your files with https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/files_antivirus for viruses. So far only ClamAV was supported. Now Kaspersky is available as alternative* scanner.
Indeed, 250K enterprises using it… So a lot of big companies and governments have a Kaspersky Scan Engine. No surprise, they’re the nr4 globally and nr1 in Europe. So we now support it as alternative to ClamAV. That’s all - we just deliver on what our customers ask from us. We haven’t had any demand for other anti-virus solutions, but if there is - we can deliver that, too, of course…
I agree with the conclusion, and options are great. I don’t appreciate the argument from popularity though. Google Drive was also very popular, but we chose you.
It’s nice that you can offer an option to the people who already trust Special-K. It’s like the way Librem 5 phones offer a USA option, because some of their clients would rather only be spied on by the USA instead of China and any people that can hack their chips.
I don’t envy your jobs, but I sure do loves me some Nextcloud.
Shortly after 9/11 - before DHS was even established - Scott McNealy (Sunmicro CEO) told the press after one of the meetings that escalated the surveillance society of today: “You think you have privacy? You don’t. Live with it…”
What exatly is the scandal? As far as I understood, you now have the choice to use Kaspersky as an alternative to ClamAV. In the end it is up to you which engine you prefer. And even if it is an app especially for Kaspersky. You have also the choice to use it or not.
I applaud for this option, and that NextCloud haven’t stayed away from the Kaspersky, based on those allegations. If US has some proofs, bring it on. Only thing what I have seen is that McAfee and Norton were not on Snowden’s list…indicating that they were co-operating with US Intelligence. After that the ban for Kaspersky feeled lot more based to what the US was doing itself and what they expect that others are doing, based on their own actions. After those accusations Kaspersky has opened their processes very much and is today more transparent that it’s US counterparties. Do they e.g. offer option to see the code of their products?
However, I hope that in long run this interface will let other AV engines to join it too, so that users will have even broader choice.
And for the end, of course if Kaspersky would be only option or forced choice, this would have been utterly unacceptable move.
No. A on-premises Kaspersky Scan Engine (https://www.kaspersky.com/scan-engine) is required. I don’t think this product is available for home users.
The integration send files to an http endpoint provided by the scan engine. So scanners with an API can be integrated. That’s usually an enterprise feature.
What about support for other commercial antivirus-software? There are a few running on linux (AVG, Eset, Panda), and some are even free (Comodo, FortiClient, Sophos)…
