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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesAvast acquired Piriform, the London-based company behind CCleaner, Recuva, Defraggler and Speccy. The deal was announced on July 19, 2017; Avast later gave July 18 as the completion date. The acquisition brought CCleaner into Avast’s consumer software business, and a supply-chain compromise involving CCleaner followed that summer. CCleaner remains available today, but its current legal page names Gen Digital Inc. as the trademark owner.
What Avast acquired in 2017
Avast acquired Piriform, not simply the CCleaner brand. Piriform developed a family of consumer utilities: CCleaner for cleaning and optimization, Recuva for file recovery, Defraggler for disk defragmentation, and Speccy for system information. Avast’s July 19, 2017 announcement described Piriform as a London-based software company and CCleaner as its flagship product.
The public announcement was dated July 19. In a later account of the security incident, Avast said the acquisition had completed on July 18. Those are different milestones, not necessarily conflicting dates. The cited announcement did not disclose the purchase price.
Why Avast wanted Piriform
The deal gave Avast an established optimization brand and access to consumers beyond its existing antivirus audience. Cleanup and PC-performance utilities sat naturally alongside Avast’s security products, creating opportunities to introduce users to other products in its portfolio. Avast also said the acquisition would expand its presence in London’s technology sector.
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The scale figures Avast published should be kept separate because they come from different company documents. Its announcement cited about 130 million Piriform users, including 15 million Android users. Avast’s later IPO filing described CCleaner as having approximately 90 million users and said about 79 percent—roughly 71 million—did not use another Avast/AVG group product. The documents do not establish that the numbers use the same date or counting method.
What Avast told existing customers
Avast said Piriform would join its consumer business unit, while Piriform’s products would continue to be maintained separately from Avast Cleanup and AVG TuneUp. The stated plan was not to immediately fold CCleaner into either competing utility. Avast also said it would continue to support Piriform customers. The original announcements are available from Avast and Piriform.
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The CCleaner supply-chain compromise
In September 2017, Avast disclosed that attackers had tampered with a CCleaner build. This was a supply-chain incident: malicious code was introduced into software that was then distributed to users, rather than being a flaw limited to a user’s own installation. The timeline matters because the distribution occurred after the acquisition, while Avast’s investigation placed the attackers’ initial access before it.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 11, 2017 | Avast later said attackers accessed Piriform’s network using TeamViewer on a developer workstation. Avast’s account |
| July 18–19, 2017 | Avast later cited July 18 as the acquisition completion date; the public announcement followed on July 19. Announcement |
| August 2, 2017 | Avast said the first CCleaner build containing the malicious payload appeared. |
| August 15, 2017 | CCleaner 5.33.6162 was released to users. |
| September 12, 2017 | The compromise was identified, according to Piriform’s security notification. |
| September 15–18, 2017 | Avast publicly disclosed and investigated the incident. |
| September 21, 2017 | Avast reported approximately 2.27 million computers had used affected software and that a second-stage payload had been sent to a limited set of organizations. Investigation update |
Which versions were affected
- CCleaner v5.33.6162 for 32-bit Windows.
- CCleaner Cloud v1.07.3191.
- Avast estimated that approximately 2.27 million computers had used the affected software. This is Avast’s incident estimate, not a count of confirmed victims.
Avast said the first-stage payload could collect information including a computer’s name, installed software and running processes. A second-stage payload was directed at selected technology and telecommunications organizations. Piriform’s notification said no other Piriform or CCleaner products were affected, based on the information available in that notice. Avast’s investigation updates are at the initial incident post and the progress report.
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Did Avast cause the compromise?
The available company accounts do not support a simple yes or no. The compromised software was distributed after Avast acquired Piriform, and Avast was responsible for responding once it owned the company. But Avast said the attackers had first entered Piriform’s network on March 11, before the acquisition, and that malicious code was inserted during the build process. Avast said it migrated Piriform’s build environment to Avast infrastructure as part of its response.
Avast said it believed no harm had occurred; that is the company’s assessment, not proof that no affected user or organization experienced harm. A later investigation update discussed a possible third stage with keylogger capacities: Avast’s account. The distinction is between when the initial intrusion allegedly began and when the compromised installer reached users.
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Who owns CCleaner now?
Avast is not the current corporate name shown on CCleaner’s legal page. That page identifies Gen Digital Inc. as the owner of the CCleaner, Defraggler, Recuva and Speccy trademarks. The product site continues to use Piriform branding, so brand continuity should not be confused with separate corporate ownership. See CCleaner’s legal information and product catalog.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What CCleaner offers today
CCleaner’s official pages list free and paid editions and availability for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. Listed functions include removing temporary files and browser data, Health Check, software updates and performance features. Some paid plans advertise driver updating, automated cleaning, cloud-drive cleaning for Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, or bundled access to Recuva and Speccy. Availability depends on edition, operating system and plan; verify the feature list before paying.
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Version labels and pricing displays on official pages can change and have appeared inconsistent, so this article does not state a single current version or price. Compare the live plans page, product overview and Professional features before checkout. CCleaner says subscriptions can renew automatically at the then-current published price; check renewal and cancellation terms for the offer you select.
Should you pay for CCleaner?
Paying makes sense only if the specific convenience or bundled feature is worth more to you than the price and renewal terms. Ordinary Windows storage cleanup does not require a paid third-party cleaner. Windows’ built-in storage controls and Storage Sense can handle basic cleanup without adding another utility; Microsoft Defender is malware protection, not a cleaner. Microsoft’s support destination is Windows Support.
Quick Recap
| Your main need | Option to consider | Why it may fit |
|---|---|---|
| Basic storage cleanup with minimal additional software | Windows Storage Sense and storage settings | Native controls are sufficient for ordinary temporary-file removal. |
| General cleanup in a familiar interface | CCleaner Free | Provides basic cleaning without paying; check its feature scope and privacy terms. |
| Open-source cleaning utility | BleachBit | A more minimal, technical option without CCleaner’s broader commercial bundle. |
| Removing unwanted or stubborn applications | Revo Uninstaller or Bulk Crap Uninstaller | These focus on uninstalling programs and related leftovers rather than general privacy cleaning. |
| Recovering deleted files | Recuva | It is a separate recovery utility, included in some CCleaner bundles; it is not a substitute for routine backups. |
Use cleanup and optimization features carefully
- Download only from the official CCleaner site, keep the application updated and avoid old installers from third-party archives.
- Review selections before deleting cookies, saved passwords, autofill data or active browser sessions; cleaning can sign you out or remove information you intended to keep.
- Back up important files before using registry or disk-wiping functions. Registry cleaning is not a dependable first-line fix for Windows problems, and cleanup claims are not guaranteed performance improvements.
- Driver-updater features can install an unsuitable driver and cause compatibility or stability problems. Do not update drivers merely because a utility offers to do so.
- Review privacy and telemetry terms directly rather than assuming that a product marketed for privacy collects no usage data. For workplace use, assess administration, logging, privacy and procurement requirements separately from a consumer subscription.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
