CCleaner: Safe or Risky for Your Windows?

CCleaner remains a reliable option for effectively removing unwanted files from your Windows PC. After experiencing a security breach in 2017, Avast, the parent company, took the necessary steps to prevent it from recurring in the future. As a long-time go-to system cleaner for Windows, CCleaner went through a rocky phase which began with the discovery of the hack and later, concerns regarding data collection. However, with the implementation of necessary changes, is CCleaner now a safe option for Windows users?

What Is CCleaner?

CCleaner, developed by Piriform Software in 2004, is a system cleanup utility designed specifically for Windows. Its primary purpose is to remove unwanted files from your computer safely, which may have been left behind by other software.

In addition to its registry, cookie, cache, and recycle bin cleaning tools,

What Is the CCleaner Hack?

has expanded its offerings to include PC performance boost tools and a driver updater. With over a decade of being featured in essential PC software lists and billions of downloads to its name, it's clear that this software is a fan favorite.

Some may assume that the C in its name (C Cleaner) stands for the C:/ drive, where Windows OS files are commonly installed, or even the word "Computer." However, the truth is that the name originates from "Crap." Believe it or not, this software was originally known as Crap Cleaner when it was first launched back in 2004.

In 2017, Avast acquired Piriform Software and CCleaner. However, shortly after the acquisition, problems arose.

What Is the CCleaner Hack?

Towards the end of 2017, security experts from the Cisco Talos group discovered that the 32-bit version 5.33 of CCleaner contained a virus delivery mechanism. Even if you downloaded the software from the official website, you were unwittingly downloading a code that could infect your computer.

It is believed that hackers were able to compromise the CCleaner software development environment, allowing them to inject their malicious code into the certified version of the software. This occurred even after the software had undergone a thorough check for infections. Avast, the company behind CCleaner, acted quickly and released a virus-free version 5.34. However, due to the large number of CCleaner downloads, it is not surprising that over two million machines were affected. The 64-bit version of the software was also found to have been breached, but this attack was aimed specifically at tech companies rather than individual users.

Despite the 2017 hack, CCleaner is now considered safe to use as there have been no successful hacks or breaches since then. Although an attempt was made in 2019, Avast, the app's owner, prevented any software from being infected. It's safe to assume that CCleaner has robust security measures in place since it's owned by one of the world's best-known antivirus companies. In fact, Avast rebuilt the software using a new infrastructure to prevent incidents like the 2017 hack.

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CCleaner's reputation took a hit in 2018 due to an issue with automatic updates being forced on users. However, this was not related to software security and has since been resolved. The update setting had been reverting to allow updates without user input, and data collection was being enabled by default. Fortunately, these issues have been fixed.

Many users wonder if the CCleaner Registry Cleaner is safe to use. The answer is yes, it is unlikely to cause harm to your computer. However, we don't believe that running a Registry Cleaner is necessary in most cases.

Windows users can still benefit from using CCleaner to keep their system free from unwanted files, cookies, and outdated Registry entries. Despite becoming more eager for users' attention since being acquired by Avast, the free version of CCleaner can be managed by remembering to exit the app to avoid upgrade prompts. The program is user-friendly and freeing up storage space or decluttering your PC is a quick and painless process.

There are numerous alternatives to CCleaner that perform just as well, if not better than the Piriform/Avast cleaner. Popular options include Glary Utilities, BleachBit, and Wise Disk Cleaner, as well as several others. In fact, some computer manufacturers even come with their own pre-installed PC cleaning utilities, eliminating the need for additional software.

CCleaner remains a useful tool for keeping your Windows PC free from unwanted files and browser data. The Pro version's driver updater is also a handy feature. However, with the improved cleanup tools built into Windows 10 and 11, there is less need for a stand-alone tool. Many of the same file-cleaning features can be found in Windows Settings.

Moreover, Microsoft is developing its own system cleaner app, PC Manager, which combines many of the built-in Windows tools and has a user-friendly interface. It's advisable for Windows users to utilize the included tools before installing additional apps.