Warning: CCleaner is malware-infested

[STEED]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Scanners can fail you. Use them, but do not trust them for your life.

You are right there Sky, last time I got hit with a pain in the arse weather app that installed itself behind my back and was classed as malware was not detected by my scans. Lucky it was low level and after following info on how to remove it it was gone. And that was i would say a good two years ago and since then nothing until this scare.

[propbeanie]

My malwarebytes didn't pick it up, but the Windows Defender did... imagine that... Windows 8.1 Windows Defender, but it only flagged the executible, quarantined it, and flashed a little blue box in the upper right of the computer. If I wouldn't have been sitting here, I wouldn't have seen it... Had to open Defender from Control Panel, and look in the History to see it. It's listed as "malicious", "backdoor", "Remove this software immediately", but didn't bother to "Alarm" me... Strange behavior. C:\Users \ Propbeanie \ CCSetup533.exe

After removal, it is "re-installing" itself, and Windows Defender picks it up again... Not cool at all... It's got "Backdoor.Win32/Floxif" embedded in it, according to Defender. Why ain't my malwarebytes picking it up? It "looks" like it's active, but doesn't act like it...

[HW3]

From PC Pitstop TechTalk

Bleeping Computer reported,

“The malware collected information such as computer name, a list of installed software, a list of running processes, media access control (MAC) addresses for the first three network interfaces, and unique IDs to identify each computer in part. Researchers noted that the malware only ran on 32-bit systems. The malware also quit execution if the user was not using an administrator account.”

Not only was malware included in the update, but a malicious backdoor was left open leaving the ability for additional malware to execute. However, to date, additional malware has not exploited this vulnerability.

If you are currently running CCleaner, please confirm which version is installed on the device. It is recommended users update the program to the version 5.34 immediately. The malware included in versions 1.07.319 and 5.33 is within the the particular version of the program– therefore, updating to version 5.34 will remove the malware.

[STEED]

Looks like I am in the clear, been running a lot of scans today which picked up a couple of issues nothing to do with this and have been sorted now.

This sort of thing will make people hang back for a month and no bad news then they will down load.

[Rockin Robbins]

Yay! Ubuntu for the win again. I never had to deal with this.

[propbeanie]

It's definitely a scary world out there RR... I checked my "System - Remote" settings, and that crap was turned back on, for an unanswered 6 hour session, with "allow this computer to be controlled remotely" set to 6 hours... so, this is "harmless"?... - I also found, after removal, a registry entries file in My Documents, so stuff was gathered and moved on the computer, and probably exported... Some one is covering butt at Avast saying it was innocent... I am not updating. No more CCCleaner, no more Avast anything.

[STEED]

I understand Avast now owns Ccleaner and reading comments under the news articles about this mess some people have been saying Avast has gone south as well, is there any real proof or is it here say?

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Yay! Ubuntu for the win again. I never had to deal with this.

If Linux would become more successful, as you claim, this will change.

I have gone with Eset Node32 since some time. No measurable taxation of my system performance, none, also none on two other notebooks I installed it on, one of which being very old. But the best combination of all such suites (in last test autumn 2015) of both Windows- and Linux-aimed malware recognition rates.

Reason demands it to use AV under Linux as well, because there is Windows-malware transported and spread by Linux servers and Linux system as well, and there is a growing number of Linux malware as well. Times are changing. . The mainstream gang claiming Linux needs no security, simply are wrong.

One Windows malware on a USB stick got found already. The investment already paid off.

[STEED]

SOFTWARE HAS A SERIOUS SUPPLY-CHAIN SECURITY PROBLEM

https://www.wired.com/story/ccleaner...ware-security/

[propbeanie]

A most interesting article STEED... Wired magazine, which I used to read back in my computer schooling days.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by STEED

https://www.wired.com/story/ccleaner...ware-security/

Lets go digital, everybody's digital, lets celebrate with digital money in a digital world.

Banking apps - yes for me!

Credit card transactions - yes for me!

Portfolio managment via smartphone - yes for me!

I'm so happy that I managed to eject from all that already some time ago without getting hit by major issues before.

Defend cash money. Boycott shops and services that make payment by credit card mandatory. There is so much more at stakle than just that little something that you call "comfort" and "feels so cool".

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Defend cash money. Boycott shops and services that make payment by credit card mandatory. There is so much more at stakle than just that little something that you call "comfort" and "feels so cool".

It's interesting that on cash American money are the words "legal tender for all debts, public and private" and business are rushing to stop accepting cash. What part of "all debts" don't they understand. I agree. Boycott anybody not accepting cash for a personal transaction.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

It's interesting that on cash American money are the words "legal tender for all debts, public and private" and business are rushing to stop accepting cash. What part of "all debts" don't they understand. I agree. Boycott anybody not accepting cash for a personal transaction.

From https://www.treasury.gov/resource-ce...al-tender.aspx

The pertinent portion of law that applies to your question is the Coinage Act of 1965, specifically Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," which states: "United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues."



This statute means that all United States money as identified above are a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise.

This and other related laws state that our Legal Tender CAN be used for all debts, but does not mandate that it be used for all debts. A subtle, but important, difference.

Businesses can still operate on the barter system also. If you have ever traded in a used car when purchasing a newer car, you have used something other than legal tender as part of the deal. As long as both the customer and the business agree, it is Kosher.

[Rockin Robbins]

If the seller's offer constitutes a price to be paid in dollars, such as the rental of an automobile, that price should be required to be taken in specie if the buyer wishes to conduct the transaction that way, lacking any previous agreement between the parties.

When you say "Flowers! $1.00" it is implied that you will take $1.00 cash money unless you go out of your way to require otherwise before the buyer agrees to pay.

[Rockin Robbins]

Hey, it looks like the Ccleaner issue is worse than was initially thought and that there is still malware in the thing. And I think it's a symptom of more mayhem to come.

You see when giant mega-companies gobble up their competition, often it isn't to make them better. Often as not, they do it to DESTROY their competition. Avast bought Piriform, the trusted and reliable publisher of Ccleaner earlier this year. THAT's when the trouble began with malware.

It looks like after Avast announced that the malware had been removed, independent testing reveals that malware is still nestled safely in Ccleaner. It's time to avoid or use an old version, before the last two published by Avast.

This is only the beginning. Things are going to get worse as these commercial companies play cloak and dagger (with emphasis on the dagger) with our trusted security programs. Only open source and new smaller commercial companies care about anything other than dollars or equivalent currency. These large gobbler corporations are not serving their customers, they are separating them from their cash.

I'm putting Avast antivirus on my black list too. Too much good competition to feel I have to use Avast anywhere.