kaspersky Plus 21.22.7.466 and Webview2 runtime

[AragornPT]

Hi, why latest build of Kaspersky Plus opens 7 processes of webview2 runtime at start???

Why Kaspersky now needs webview2 runtime???

Thanks,

[harlan4096]

https://eap.kaspersky.com/topic/6427/mr22-release-has-been-signed/9?_=1755846623313

 

 

[AragornPT]

Thank you. 

So... Kaspersky now mimics the worst thing Adobe did to their productivity suite: (I stopped using Adobe products a long time ago) Heavy system footprint of their apps!!!

Do Kaspersky know the meaning of "simplify"???? Also do they know webview2 runtime is present in Windows? Why have a "duplicate" webview2 runtime? and with running processes all the time, only to see "news and advertising" about Kaspersky products?

Complete nonsense! If this is the future for Kasperky, it's better to change to another security suite provider!

For the people annoyed, like me, with this, please do this "temporary procedure": (Valid for Kaspersky Plus running in Win10 22H2)

1) stop Kaspersky self-defense. Quit Kaspersky.

2) go to c:\ProgramData\Kaspersky Lab\AVP21.22/Data/Webview2/Win10/

3) Find and rename the file "msedgewebview2.exe" to "msedgewebview2.ex_"

4) Run Kaspersky. Start again self-defense. No more stupid webview2 processes running all the time.

Please see if this procedure has adverse effects and report to me. Also, if you have an alternative solution, please let me know. Thank you.

Edited yesterday at 10:36 AM by AragornPT

[AlexeyK]

12 часов назад, AragornPT сказал:

Kaspersky Plus opens 7 processes of webview2 runtime at start

What is the summary memory usage of these processes according to the task manager?

25 минут назад, AragornPT сказал:

please do this "temporary procedure"

Don't you think that one day the GUI will freeze or crash after this action?)

[Berny]

51 minutes ago, AragornPT said:

do they know webview2 runtime is present in Windows?

↓ Yes they know ↓

Spoiler

 

↓ The digital signature is signed by Microsoft as genuine and not malware ↓

Spoiler

 

[AragornPT]

30 minutes ago, AlexeyK said:

What is the summary memory usage of these processes according to the task manager?

They are not "memory eaters" in my 32MB Ram space, but I don't like to have useless processes running all the time!

Don't you think that one day the GUI will freeze or crash after this action?)

No... the GUI finds easily the main webview2 runtime present in the system! This duplicate is useless. (Someone at Adobe said the same thing till the day I showed them all Adobe apps running well only with the "system" copy of webview2 runtime!) If all software companies install their own runtime, what do we have? 10 webview2 runtimes running in our systems? 20? 100? Kaspersky should check if webview2 runtime is installed and only install it if it's not! Till now the GUI is fine, Kaspersky made a bad move in latest update. Hope they change this! thank you for your opinion.

 

 

[AlexeyK]

1 минуту назад, AragornPT сказал:

GUI finds easily the main webview2 runtime present in the system!

Why do you think so?  Webview2 was intentionally added to the product folder to avoid using the system one - for more control and security. And Kaspersky products is not equal to Adobe products.) Such experiments may have a negative impact on the product.

[AragornPT]

10 minutes ago, Berny said:

↓ Yes they know ↓

  Hide contents

 

↓ The digital signature is signed by Microsoft as genuine and not malware ↓

  Hide contents

 

I know webview2 runtime is genuine and signed. That is not the problem here.

2 minutes ago, AlexeyK said:

Why do you think so?  Webview2 was intentionally added to the product folder to avoid using the system one - for more control and security. And Kaspersky products is not equal to Adobe products.) Such experiments may have a negative impact on the product.

As I said, I don't like to have webview2 runtime processes running all the time in my system! It's my system, not Kasperspy system. So, I can live with these "negative impacts" I create and I can always switch to other security suite if I can't feel confortable anymore with Kasperspy products!

[AlexeyK]

1 час назад, AragornPT сказал:

I don't like to have webview2 runtime processes running all the time in my system!

Very funny, thanks for your humor. 🙂

1 час назад, AragornPT сказал:

I can live with these "negative impacts" I create

Yes, you can. But you wrote about it on this forum, so we can discuss the possible results of proposed actions.

[AragornPT]

Of course we can and I appreciate all opinions. For now, I can't see negative side effects. Let's see. 

[AragornPT]

More info on this subject can be found here:

Distribute your app and the WebView2 Runtime - Microsoft Edge Developer documentation | Microsoft Learn

[AragornPT]

If we replace the Win10 folder (in c:\ProgramData\Kaspersky Lab\AV21.22\Data\Webview2) with a shortcut pointing to the system webview2 runtime folder, we are 100% sure about Kaspersky GUI using the system webview2 runtime and no webview2 runtime processes are spotted in the task manager. This is the way things should work! A closed environment with Kaspersky using its own runtime is completely paronoid. I really hope Kaspersky tech staff goes back on this! Using Fixed Version runtime distribution mode against Bootstrap on-line deployment of webview2 runtime has the side effect of multiple webview2 processes running all the time. This should be reviewed and fixed by the devs to stop all of these processes from showing up! Resource optimization should be a priority! (A security suite should work with the smallest footprint to the system)

As a former Microsoft Systems and Data Analyst, I know this can be achieved. Thank you. 

[AlexeyK]

8 минут назад, AragornPT сказал:

A closed environment with Kaspersky using its own runtime is completely paronoid.

Have you read the article? There are 2 distribution modes:

1. The Evergreen Runtime distribution mode

2. The Fixed Version runtime distribution mode

In the Fixed Version distribution mode, you download a specific version of the WebView2 Runtime and package it together with your WebView2 app in your app package. The WebView2 Runtime that you package with your app is used only by your WebView2 app, not by any other apps on the client's machine.

Pros:

• You have more control over versioning of the WebView2 Runtime. You know which WebView2 APIs are available to your app, because you control which version of the WebView2 Runtime is available to your app. Your app doesn't need to test whether the latest APIs are present.

11 минут назад, AragornPT сказал:

a shortcut pointing to the system webview2 runtime folder, we are 100% sure about Kaspersky GUI using the system webview2 runtime

After such manipulations, you can't be sure of anything at all. We're breaking everything even more.🙂

[AragornPT]

1 minute ago, AlexeyK said:

After such manipulations, you can't be sure of anything at all. We're breaking everything even more.🙂

Yes, but I don't have multiple tasks of webview2 runtime running all the time!!! The problem is not Kaspersky using the fixed version runtime distro! The problem is that processes shouldn't show up constantly! Kaspersky can use this "duplicate fixed version runtime" but without this kind of side effects (more processes running all the time). I'm only curious why this happens...

"Curiosity... is insubordination in its purest form.” —Vladimir Nabokov  

[AlexeyK]

3 часа назад, AragornPT сказал:

I'm only curious why this happens...

Obviously, KL developers decided to do so.) Although product 21.22 in my system doesn't run its own WebView2 Runtime at all.) But I have neither news nor KL store in the GUI.

Edited yesterday at 06:56 PM by AlexeyK

[Berny]

2 hours ago, AragornPT said:

The problem is that processes shouldn't show up constantly!

No repeat here under ' avp.exe '  (Anti-Virus Protection) 🤔 , K Tech Support is your best bet

Spoiler

 

[AragornPT]

So, this behavior happens only to me??? 

 

2 hours ago, AlexeyK said:

Obviously, KL developers decided to do so.) Although product 21.22 in my system doesn't run its own WebView2 Runtime at all.) But I have neither news no KL store in the GUI.

[AlexeyK]

24 минуты назад, AragornPT сказал:

this behavior happens only to me?

This webview is for web content, I don't have it yet.

Are these processes exactly running from the product folder, have you checked it?

[AragornPT]

13 hours ago, AlexeyK said:

Are these processes exactly running from the product folder, have you checked it?

Of course! All of them running from "c:\programdata\Kaspersky... \win10"

I'm waiting for this update to K Plus 21.22.7.466 in my other PC's, to verify if this happens on all of them (2pc's + 2 laptop) 

People still using 21.21.6 don't have this issue, because custom webview2 folder is not present. I'd like to have feedback from people running latest Kaspersky in Windows 11, too. Thanks for your help. 

[AlexeyK]

21 час назад, AragornPT сказал:

I don't like to have webview2 runtime processes running all the time in my system

Screenshot from W11. A huge number of webview processes, started not by Kaspersky. They are constantly running in the background. W11 is contraindicated for you. 😄

[AragornPT]

48 minutes ago, AlexeyK said:

Screenshot from W11. A huge number of webview processes, started not by Kaspersky. They are constantly running in the background. W11 is contraindicated for you. 😄

If they are "constantly" running and you don't have any app opened who uses webview2 runtime, you have serious problems in your system. Webview2 runtime processes are not intended to run all the time in the background, unless you have an app who needs them.

[AlexeyK]

10 минут назад, AragornPT сказал:

If they are "constantly" running and you don't have any app opened who uses webview2 runtime, you have serious problems in your system.

I have no problems with my system. Thanks for discussion, it was fun. Good luck in finding a solution of your very serious problem. 😄

[AragornPT]

7 hours ago, AlexeyK said:

I have no problems with my system. Thanks for discussion, it was fun. Good luck in finding a solution of your very serious problem. 😄

I Already find the solution for this and for hundreds of other software bugs and bad behavior in my 40 years professional life. For me, Kaspersky is doing this the wrong way, but I don't go argue with you. Did you have fun? Good... you seem like a sad guy and your replies in this thread are completely useless, So, bye-bye to you.

If someone else has something useful to append here, be my guest.

[AragornPT]

Escalation to petition (please support me if you agree)

Subject: Feedback on WebView2 Runtime Usage in Kaspersky Plus

Dear Kaspersky Team,

I’m a long-time user of your products and recently upgraded to Kaspersky Plus (version 21.22.7.466). I’ve noticed that the application now relies on Microsoft’s WebView2 Runtime, and I wanted to share my concern.

While I understand the need for modern UI frameworks, the use of WebView2 has introduced multiple background processes and increased resource usage on my system. This change feels unnecessary for a security product, especially when simpler, more efficient interfaces have worked well in the past.

I’d appreciate it if future versions offered an option to disable WebView2-based components or provided a lightweight alternative for users who prioritize performance and minimalism.

Thank you for your continued commitment to security — I hope this feedback helps improve the user experience.