CCleaner Adds Data Collection Feature With No Way to Opt-Out

[AdvancedSetup]

CCleaner Adds Data Collection Feature With No Way to Opt-Out

https://thehackernews.com/2018/08/ccleaner-software-download.html

Glad I stopped using that product years ago.

 

[ncodex]

Maybe it's time to classify it as a PUP within Malwarebytes? It does registry cleaning and you block other programs which do similar stuff.

[Firefox]

Yeah I noticed that too... if you disable Enable system monitoring and also Disable Enable Active Monitoring after you exit the Enable Active Monitoring is back on....

It is also adding a Startup in HKCU: Run CCleaner Monitoring "C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner64.exe" /MONITOR

If you disable or delete that, it comes back

[exile360]

Yep, I'd go ahead and classify it as PUP at this point.  This is way over the line, especially with its persistence, that's borderline Trojan behavior.

[nukecad]

They have promised to 'fix it' in the next version. Too little too late.

Many are of the opinion it was not a bug to be 'fixed' but deliberate action by the marketing arm of Avast. (And implemented with inept programming).

Either way it is the last straw for many. And there have been quite a few straws since Avast bought Piriform.

They also got their knickers in a twist over GDPR, which they didn't need to at all.
Although they are not the only software company to do so.
Mainly because dodgy marketing people don't like this new European transparency and data protection law, and are trying to find ways to circumvent it.

Their established userbase is uninstalling and leaving in droves.

Others are rolling back to earlier versions.

Avast did launch their own stand-alone cleaner a couple of years back, (before that it was built into their AV).
It's almost as if Avast bought Piriform with the intention of alienating users and closing down a rival.

Edited August 3, 2018 by nukecad

[Gt-truth]

me too I have to stopped to using Ccleaner from a long time and I no longer trust it

[nukecad]

Official statement posted 10 minutes ago on the Piriform CCleaner forum:

https://forum.piriform.com/topic/52360-changes-in-v545-and-your-feedback/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-298509

quote from that:

Quote

Thank you all for your continued feedback (positive and negative, it all helps). I wanted to give a quick progress update on what we're doing.......

...... We’re also creating a factsheet to share which will outline the data we collect, for which purposes and how it is processed.

Blah, blah,blah....

We understand the importance of this to you all. This work is our number 1 priority and we are taking the time to get it right in the next release. There are numerous changes required, so that does mean it will take weeks, not days. While we work on this, we have removed version 5.45 and reinstated version 5.44.

As said above, for many that is too little and too late.

Edited August 3, 2018 by nukecad

[David H. Lipman]

One has to look at... intent