CCleaner is owned by Gen Digital, a global cybersecurity company that also owns brands like Norton, Avast, LifeLock, and AVG. Gen Digital acquired CCleaner's original developer, Piriform, through its ownership of Avast in 2017, bringing CCleaner under the Gen Digital family of brands.
Malware infection
After Piriform was acquired by Avast, in September 2017, CCleaner 5.33 was compromised by the incorporation of the Floxif trojan horse into the distributed program that could install a backdoor, enabling remote access to 2.27 million machines which had installed CCleaner.
Gen is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock-market index. It is listed at both NASDAQ and Prague Stock Exchange. Its portfolio includes Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender, MoneyLion and CCleaner.
With more than 12,000 user reviews on Trustpilot, CCleaner has an 'Excellent' rating overall. CCleaner for Android is also highly rated with more than two million reviews on the Google Play Store.
It's true that CCleaner was once hijacked by hackers, but the developers have taken measures to ensure the security of the software, and it is now considered safe to use.
Avast acquired Piriform, the maker of CCleaner, on July 18, 2017 because Piriform has a great product, and wonderful supporters and users.
It's generally safe to use it for cleaning temporary files, but even that isn't really necessary anymore. Since CCleaner was acquired by Avast, the software has become bloated with ads and unnecessary components. The days when it was a clean, lightweight, and truly useful tool are long gone.
CCleaner malware is a malicious program disguised as legitimate software called CCleaner.
To enhance the functioning of your devices and improve your experience online, we collect your data to provide you with the best tools. We do not take your trust for granted so we've developed a Privacy Policy that covers how we collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store your personal data.
Norton is a brand name that was founded in 1982 by Peter Norton Computing and acquired by Symantec in 1990. It is now used by the American company Gen (also trading as Gen Digital, formed by Avast and NortonLifeLock/Symantec) for some of its software.
McAfee is an antivirus. Ccleaner is a junk file cleaner (not an antivirus.)
On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and X key simultaneously. Select Programs and Features from the menu that appears. Right-click CCleaner, then select Uninstall from the drop-down menu.
How do you know if there is spyware on your computer?
Free up space with Disk Cleanup
If your system doesn't have Storage Sense, you can use the Disk Cleanup tool to delete temporary files and system files from your device. In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup, then select it from the results. Select the drive you want to clean up files for, then select OK.
Free. Install our standard version of CCleaner. Runs on Microsoft Windows 11, 10, 8.1, and 7. Including both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
The best registry cleaners of 2026 in full:
Cleanup PC, protection for your computer | Microsoft PC Manager.
CCleaner and Windows PC Manager are both system optimization tools, but have different use cases, functionalities, and features. The Windows PC Manager is Microsoft's own optimization software compatible only with Windows 10 (19042.0 and above) and Windows 11.
BleachBit is a good open-source alternative to CCleaner for those who can make do without the latter's security tools or Performance Boost.
Avast welcomes Piriform, creator of CCleaner, to its team. I am happy to announce that we have acquired Piriform. Piriform is one of the largest providers of PC and mobile optimization software in the world, founded and based in London, UK.
Driver updates often come with improvements in speed and efficiency. This means that your hardware, be it a video card or a printer, can perform better after a driver update. If your system seems sluggish or your latest video game doesn't run as smoothly as it should, the issue may very well be outdated drivers.