Avast is ruining CCleaner -- malware, bundled software, popup ads... what's next?

[douglas9]

Security software firm Avast acquired Piriform -- the maker of several popular system utilities, including CCleaner -- last year. Things didn’t go too well from the off however, as shortly afterwards, it was revealed that CCleaner had been hacked and a dangerously modified version had been available to download for a number of weeks.

Avast was quick to point out Piriform’s IT systems were breached before it acquired the company, but it was still in charge when the infected build was released. That sort of thing is very unfortunate -- and even more embarrassing given the business Avast is in -- but it could be forgiven. Unfortunately, since then Avast seems to be working hard to alienate CCleaner’s devoted userbase.

If you’ve installed the system cleaning software recently, you’ll no doubt have noticed that it came bundled with Avast Antivirus. In CCleaner 5.43, Avast updated its privacy policy to keep it in line with GDPR, and also added new privacy settings, but initially only allowed Professional users to opt-out of data usage sharing with third parties.

And now in the latest version of the software, CCleaner 5.44, there’s an annoying popup Summer Sale message. It’s a one-time ad, although as Techdows points out, if you remove cookies set by CCleaner, you will see the messages again.


https://betanews.com/2018/06/28/avast-ruining-ccleaner/

[Oneironaut]

1. Capitalist absurdity, when malware cleaners have malware in them.

Is it just me, or has internet advertising become 100% more obnoxious in these last couple of years. It’s almost like we’re getting back to the times where you would visit a website and 50 pop ups would flood your screen, rendering the site unusable.

I installed Adblock recently, and it makes using the Internet beautiful.

[teach1st]

2. This applies to the free version AFAIK

The paid version doesn't have popups. And, as the article mentions, the paid "professional" version lets you opt out of the company sharing data. At least, it says it does. It's hard to trust them anymore.

[msongs]

3. it will lose customers to better alternatives then? nt

[ManiacJoe]

4. For the most part CCleander is unneeded software.