Microsoft Brands CCleaner As Potential Unwanted Application

The ever-popular decluttering tool for Windows, CCleaner has been identified as a PUA by Microsoft. It’s an acronym for Potentially Unwanted Application, a designation given to programs that do not confirm to the company’s predefined ‘ethical behavior’. PUAs are not considered malware and by themselves, do not pose a security threat to a user’s PC.

The news which was initially reported by the Bleepingcomputer.com, puts CCleaner and its publisher Piriform in a difficult position. While Microsoft acknowledges that CCleaner is a legitimate piece of software, the qualm that it has pertains to the bundled software associated with certain CCleaner installers.

These installers for Free and 14-day trial version of CCleaners come with other applications that are unrelated to the operation of CCleaner. Microsoft says that bundling third-party software that may be inadvertently installed by a user, could result in negative user experiences. And to circumvent this issue, Windows Defender flags CCleaner as a PUA.

PUA are defined as programs that fall into the following categories: advertising software, torrent software, cryptomining software, building software, marketing software, evasion software and poor industry reputation.

Useful Link: How Microsoft Classifies PUA

According to Microsoft’s website, installers of CCleaner installers that have been found to be bundling the following applications:

• Google Chrome
• Google Toolbar
• Avast Free Antivirus
• AVG Anti Virus

The listed programs are names of legitimate software. However, Microsoft believes that bundling such software with completely unrelated programs, could inconvenience users. As wild as the accusation may seem, there is a legitimate reason for concern. Unscrupulous individuals could hijack legitimate programs with their own malicious software.

What may seem to be a harmless piece of software, could be used to track your online activities and log personal information. Its a legitimate problem that has compromised a great deal of machine, which include some belonging to our staffers.

Now, this doesn’t mean that CCleaner is at fault in any way. There have been several instances in the past where I, or a colleague have used CCleaner. The purpose was to clean system registries and remove disused files and other junk residing in obscure corners of our hard drives.

CCleaner is probably just a casualty in Microsoft’s ongoing crusade against PUA that could pose potential threats to Windows machines. As such, it is imperative that you only download programs directly from the publisher’s website and remember to read the fine print to opt-out of any unwanted installations or offers.

Source:
BleedingComputer.com
Microsoft.com