CCleaner as a trojan vehicle?

[edlo]

I was told today by a Microsoft Help Desk Rep that CCleaner is being used as a vehicle for hackers. I have never heard of that possibility and have been using this product on many systems since the original release. I've searched for any indication that the statement is true but find nothing. Anyone at the "home office" know anything or can shed some light on the subject? I depend on CCleaner to keep several Non-Profit's systems runing in good shape.

[mta]

I'd say that the Microsoft Help Desk Rep is an alarmist.

As long as you get CC from official sources, like Piriform or FileHippo, then you have some assurity that you have the 'clean' version.

 

Sure, some dodgy sites are offering what they say is CC but in fact is either nothing more then some blatant rip-off, or CC wrapped in some installer package that also installs crapware.

[Derek891]

If it were me, I would have told that Microsoft representative something my mother told me over 50 years ago: People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

[mta]

yes, it is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.

 

and @edlo, did you ring Microsoft or was this one of those "Hello, I'm from Microsoft and your PC has errors" type of calls???

[Andavari]

I was told today by a Microsoft Help Desk Rep that CCleaner is being used as a vehicle for hackers.

 

Their own anti-virus/anti-malware/anti-spyware software Microsoft Security Essentials does not agree with that support person since it won't flag CCleaner as being infected, etc.

 

That's as silly as the info I got from a call I made to my ISP CenturyLink two weeks ago with connection issues, the support guy on the phone told me "you need to clean your memory/RAM". Just people in a support role without the slightest clue what they're talking about I think.

Edited November 17, 2013 by Andavari

[edlo]

I questioned the Help Desk Rep, but was in the middle of trying to solve a "not genuine" problem on Win 7 that had been running OK for years. Didn"t want to antaginize because he was in the process of fixing a serious problem that I had spent too much time on already. It is not fixed by the way - it came back within the hour after we signed off.

 

I fully appreciate your opinions but I'm looking for facts. My copies of CCleaner always come from the source site. I've been in this busines since 1947 so it takes a bit to sneek one by me. What bothered me was this particular rep seemed a bit smarter than most.

[nodles]

Maybe the HelpDesk Rep meant the Google Chrome which is included in the full version..?

Edited November 17, 2013 by nodles

[login123]

... I fully appreciate your opinions but I'm looking for facts. My copies of CCleaner always come from the source site. I've been in this busines since 1947 so it takes a bit to sneek one by me. What bothered me was this particular rep seemed a bit smarter than most.

 

There are phoney sites out there.

Two (only) dependable source sites I know of are Filehippo and Piriform, as stated above.

Facts (as in immutable laws of nature) are hard to come by about windows as you know.

But, one fact is that I have used most all versions of CCleaner on win xp, win 7 and a little bit win 8. Sometimes go back and forth between versions of CCleaner. Never had a problem. Doesn't mean it won't happen, just that it hasn't.

A CCleaner installation from a trusted site won't do any hacking. It only phones home if you ask for an update, and only installs google stuff if you tell it to.

 

Can you get the details from the help desk assistant, to see what he meant?

 

edit...ninja'ed by nodles.

[Alan_B]

This is the second topic in as many months in which a Microsoft Help Desk person has been aware of the presence of CCleaner,

and as a result has automatically blamed Microsoft Windows issues upon CCleaner.

To be fair - they probably put the same blame upon any other registry cleaning utility.

[Shaylana]

There is an application out there called 'PC Cleaner' that is a rogue application not to be confused CCleaner. Additionally, the Google Toolbar that is the ride along program with CCleaner may be identified by some avs as a Trojan. Some people think that CCleaner is a Trojan/virus because of this and there are comments all around the web regarding this - its on the web, it must be true! <cough, cough>. I tried to download CCleaner and ESET kept quarantining the file because of the ride along, not because of CCleaner. I contacted customer support and they said I could deselect the ride along before the actual download, so I did, and the second that toolbar was removed from the mix, ESET was once again happy.

 

As to Microsoft, I have to have CCleaner because their own disk cleanup won't actually clean up my system. CCleaner is a great program, should only be downloaded from the official site, and don't download the tool bar if your av tells you it is a Trojan, because if you force it, it will continue to tell you that it is a Trojan.

[Andavari]

I tried to download CCleaner and ESET kept quarantining the file

 

Just download the Slim or Portable builds of CCleaner, they don't include any 3rd party program.