If you were unlucky enough to install CCleaner 5.3 on a 32-bit Windows PC, you may have been exposed to one of the worst malware hijackings in recent history. We don’t plan to keep it on our system after this review. In short: CCleaner isn’t worthless, but most users probably don’t need it. You can use Windows cleaning options and other third-party tools that do a better job at tasks like finding duplicate files.
They turned a tool meant to scrub your computer clean of lurking malware into a serious threat to sensitive and personal information.
Hackers took the legitimate program and inserted malicious code that was designed to steal data from users. However, in September 2017, CCleaner malware was discovered. The registry cleaner only detects remaining entries that are no longer associated with anything.
It only removes useless files and doesn’t delete system files or anything that could cause PC malfunctions.
The software has advanced features such as automatic app updates, disk defrag, and bloatware removal. Is CCleaner any goodĪvast Cleanup is the best value CCleaner alternative for checking registry files and optimizing system performance. Is CCleaner really useful?ĬCleaner is known to be an excellent tool for eliminating malicious programs that hide deep in computer systems, but as the CCleaner malware incident proves, even the programs created to protect our computers from threats are not immune to hackers. The interface might not be the most user-friendly but there’s a great selection of tools if you spend some time to get to know what is where.
CCleaner remains one of the best cleaning software options around, not only at one of the lowest prices but offering top-notch performance. Verdict: Avast Cleanup is the best alternative to CCleaner due to its advanced disk cleaner and optimizing features. Why you should not install CCleaner?ĬCleaner, a popular PC optimization app, is being flagged up as ‘ potentially unwanted software’ by Microsoft Defender (formerly Windows Defender, but renamed with the May 2020 Update), which is Microsoft’s built-in antivirus for Windows 10. In addition to being installed on more than 2 million systems, the CCleaner malware is dangerous because it can place a backdoor on infected systems that appears legitimate because it is signed with one of Piriform’s own digital certificates. What cleaner is better than CCleaner?ĬCleaner, a popular PC optimization app, is being flagged up as ‘ potentially unwanted software’ by Microsoft Defender (formerly Windows Defender, but renamed with the May 2020 Update), which is Microsoft’s built-in antivirus for Windows 10. It becomes harmful due to the malware that is hidden by hackers. CCleaner is a Windows application, which is useful for system optimization and maintenance and unused/temporary files removal.
Why you should not use CCleaner?ĬCleaner, a popular PC optimization app, is being flagged up as ‘ potentially unwanted software’ by Microsoft Defender (formerly Windows Defender, but renamed with the May 2020 Update), which is Microsoft’s built-in antivirus for Windows 10.