2.0/5
Trustpilot rating
132 reviews, shop.kingston.com
Report
Should I Use Kingston?
Depends
DependsKingston is a reputable, affordable brand for PC components — RAM, SSDs, and encrypted USB drives.
Affordable, trusted hardware brand for RAM/SSDs — not software; weak store reviews and security CVEs warrant caution.
Confidence: Medium
1987
Founded
35+ years in memory & storage
2+
Known CVEs in review
incl. one HIGH severity
Value for money
4
Repeatedly called affordable by builders
Support quality
3
Reddit praise; store reviews poor
Security posture
2
Multiple CVEs, ransomware claims, leaked credentials
Pros
Cons
- Direct store rated 2.0/5 on Trustpilot across 132 reviews¹
- HIGH-severity vulnerability in FURY CTRL RGB software (CVE-2026-19381)⁵
- Everest ransomware group claims; Kingston reportedly investigating⁷
- 374 infostealer credentials tied to surfaced publicly⁸
- Old access-control flaw in secure DataTraveler drives (CVE-2010-0223)⁶
Gotchas
- highPatch FURY CTRL software before use — HIGH-severity CVE disclosed.⁵
- mediumBuy from retailers like CDW instead of the 2.0/5-rated official store.¹
- mediumRansomware claims were still under investigation; verify before enterprise deployment.⁷
- lowBudget lines like the NV3 trade speed for price — compare benchmarks first.²
Best for
- Budget PC builds (RAM, SSDs)
- Encrypted USB / IronKey buyers
- Enterprise storage procurement
- Everyday flash drives
Not for
- Anyone seeking a software or SaaS product — this is hardware
- Enthusiasts wanting flagship SSD speed at any price
- Buyers needing a smooth official-store experience
Security
Multiple findings: one HIGH-severity CVE, ransomware claims, and leaked credentials.
- CVE-2026-19381 — FURY CTRL RGB Control SoftwareHIGH-severity flaw disclosed in Kingston's FURY CTRL RGB control software.⁵
- CVE-2010-0223 — DataTraveler BlackboxHistoric access-control flaw in DataTraveler Blackbox+2 encrypted drives.⁶
- Everest ransomware claimsEverest ransomware group claimed a breach; Kingston Technology was reportedly investigating.⁷
- Infostealer credentials on domain374 credentials from appeared in infostealer logs.⁸
What users say
Users call Kingston gear affordable and dependable for the price, though the official store's reviews are poor.
“Kingston NV3 SSD Review: A solid, affordable SSD”
“Why are they so cheap?”
“I just want to publicly thank Kingston for flawless customer service”
Alternatives
Compare Kingston with each alternative.
Corsair
Common RAM alternative in builder comparisons
Samsung
Guess: frequent enterprise SSD comparison brand
Full analysis
Based on ~40 public sources; most were unrelated (films, cities). 11 directly relevant used here.
Sources
- Kingston Technology Reviews — Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
- Kingston NV3 SSD Review — r/hardwarereddit.comreview
- Are Kingston SSDs good? — r/buildapcreddit.comreview
review
security
- CVE-2010-0223 — DataTraveler Blackboxdbugs.ptsecurity.comsecurity
- Kingston investigating ransomware claimscyberdaily.aunews
- 374 infostealer credentials — Hudson Rockhudsonrock.comsecurity
- Kingston IronKey secure solutionskingston.comofficial
- Kingston Memory Configuratorkingston.comofficial
official
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