Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you need
to know about this.
Do you use CC Cleaner, did you download a copy
or an update during August and September 2017?
If you did then you have probably been hacked
and you will have malware in your machine.
Full story below.
Mike.
CCleaner has a reputation for being one of the best Windows cleanup tools around.
Simply running it on your PC will remove the digital junk that accumulates in Windows
in order to free up space on your hard drive, and also clean out unnecessary registry
settings.
Unfortunately, CCleaner's reputation is set to take a hit, since it has been found to be
packed with malware!
The problem wasn't actually with the CCleaner software itself. It seems that hackers
managed to get access to servers run by security company Avast which were distributing
the CCleaner software, and infected the download with a malware tool.
When unsuspecting users installed CCleaner, the malware was installed too.
And because CCleaner is downloaded 5 million times a week, this is a major problem.
The malware was distributed with version 5.33 of CCleaner, downloaded between
15th August and 12th September.
If you downloaded CCleaner during this time period, or updated your existing version of
CCleaner to 5.33, then you will have downloaded the malware infection.
Needless to say, CCleaner is a long established and trustworthy product, and the company
behind it do not distribute malware themselves. It seems that, in this case, the tool used
to build and release the software (called the toolchain) was compromised by hackers.
If you have CCleaner installed on your PC, the best thing to do is to remove it and
perform a full security scan on your PC.
To remove the software, proceed as follows:
Press [Windows Key] + [R], type control and click OK.
Set the View by drop-down list in the top right-hand corner to Large icons.
Double-click on Programs and Features.
Look through the list for the CCleaner entry. Select it and click Uninstall.
Once the software has been removed, re-boot your PC and then use your anti-virus program
to perform a full system scan. Remove any infections that are uncovered. Once you have done,
you can download a new version of CCleaner and install it on your PC, if you still need it.
to know about this.
Do you use CC Cleaner, did you download a copy
or an update during August and September 2017?
If you did then you have probably been hacked
and you will have malware in your machine.
Full story below.
Mike.
CCleaner has a reputation for being one of the best Windows cleanup tools around.
Simply running it on your PC will remove the digital junk that accumulates in Windows
in order to free up space on your hard drive, and also clean out unnecessary registry
settings.
Unfortunately, CCleaner's reputation is set to take a hit, since it has been found to be
packed with malware!
The problem wasn't actually with the CCleaner software itself. It seems that hackers
managed to get access to servers run by security company Avast which were distributing
the CCleaner software, and infected the download with a malware tool.
When unsuspecting users installed CCleaner, the malware was installed too.
And because CCleaner is downloaded 5 million times a week, this is a major problem.
The malware was distributed with version 5.33 of CCleaner, downloaded between
15th August and 12th September.
If you downloaded CCleaner during this time period, or updated your existing version of
CCleaner to 5.33, then you will have downloaded the malware infection.
Needless to say, CCleaner is a long established and trustworthy product, and the company
behind it do not distribute malware themselves. It seems that, in this case, the tool used
to build and release the software (called the toolchain) was compromised by hackers.
If you have CCleaner installed on your PC, the best thing to do is to remove it and
perform a full security scan on your PC.
To remove the software, proceed as follows:
Press [Windows Key] + [R], type control and click OK.
Set the View by drop-down list in the top right-hand corner to Large icons.
Double-click on Programs and Features.
Look through the list for the CCleaner entry. Select it and click Uninstall.
Once the software has been removed, re-boot your PC and then use your anti-virus program
to perform a full system scan. Remove any infections that are uncovered. Once you have done,
you can download a new version of CCleaner and install it on your PC, if you still need it.
