If it was the Pro version, it would say "CCleaner Professional" in the UI banner where the free version says "CCleaner.com".
I'll point the devs to this Login, and I have a link for the "Softm8" site but not the other one you mention, and only the one pops up if I repeat your search.
Just out of interest, why were you googling for CCleaner? Were you lost?
If you follow through that first highlighted link in the pictured google search, you wind up with this installed:
If you run that version of CCleaner, you get this popup asking for license details, but the software runs as a trial:
If you run the installer from softm8, the second highlighted link, it tries to install these:
and
and you eventually get to this installer for ver. 3.23
Either installation pops up that license detail request, if i recall corrctly.
In any case, its easy to get right one installed, but those incorrect links might explain some of the strange posts where someone describes odd behaviors by CCleaner.
But interestingly, when I do that same search as you did, I do not see that rogue download site anywhere in my results:
Google lets you target your ads to specific users based on country, OS and browser.
Malicious 'sponsored results' usually only show for Windows XP/Internet Explorer users, as they are typically less tech savvy (and more vulnerable to attacks) than users of other platforms.
I was very careful to use the word typically in that sentence. While there will always be exceptions, the vast majority of users still using the XP/IE combo are average Joe computer users.
Although that wording still doesn't look right: let's go with "the vast majority of average Joe PC users are running XP/IE"
Sometimes it's easy to forget that we live in a world where 3.5 million people still buy dial-up internet from AOL...
Alan, answer is yes, I did get both versions, 3.23 and 3.27, installed.
Both installations ran but asked for license detais. Didn't actually use the apps, just installed and opened them. I saved the exes, compared the hashes, and a bunch of other stuff, but didn't want to belabor the details.
Edit: That first highlighted link in the picture eventually installs ver 3.27, and the second link eventually installs ver 3.23 via softm8 (with the foistware offers). Was able to uncheck the foistware offers.
Pwilliner, that pictured search happened here when I entered the word piriform with a space after it, then let google make its suggestions. Still does that right now. Without the space at the end I get a different set of suggestions.
Shane, I must confess to being only barely semi-tekkie. I thought API stood for "Always Provide Instructions".
That was the reason for this topic. I think most folks are not very tekkie. I wondered how many would follow those links and wind up with some sort of CCleaner installation that would leave them with annoying popups or a bunch of foistware, and blame Piriform for it.
and the second link eventually installs ver 3.23 via softm8 (with the foistware offers). Was able to uncheck the foistware offers.
Did you also uncheck the keylogger that may have come with their delivery of ver 3.23 ?
Sorry for any panic but how confident are you of your malware protection ?
It occurs to me that softm8 may deliver the Professional version with the hope of an on-line purchase from Piriform whilst their keylogger is observing and phoning home.
It could also keep an eye open for all your other financial transactions.
Please note that the above is pure speculation - when I cry WOLF the reality could be a Tiger or a Mouse
There are others here with far greater experience who hopefully can tell you not to panic - or otherwise
N.B.
A year or two ago I searched for "Portable Notepad" and clicked on several results.
One result was a download helper from Softonics which I refused to run.
Although I never ran it,
Windows then started to report "side-by-side" errors due to that file which was Never used and never moved from the download folder on a non-system HDD
I deleted that file but the errors persisted.
I scanned for malware and found none.
I restored my system from an earlier Partition Image Backup and the errors stopped and my panic subsided.
Alan, I have more layers of security on here than The International Bureau of Super Secrets (IBOSS).
Never heard of IBOSS? Well there ya go, see, pretty secret outfit, huh?
Actually, I would never have tried any of that stuff without Powershadow or some equivalent (yet to be found) running. And other anti malware apps, of course.
But thanks for looking out for me. Nothing is bulletproof, and I didn't think of a keylogger.
CCleaner is a top quality product and I have promoted it with my clients for years. Saying that...I was working on a laptop for a client yesterday and to my horror I discovered the maulware folks have a new trick that I just ran into. I go to google to download ccleaner and I'm made the mistake of using the fake ccleaner package and it "tried" to install a bunch of maulware. The shielding I had setup beforehand stopped it however I had to spend hours scanning to make sure nothing got through.
When you type in "ccleaner" in google Search it shows up as an ad at the top of the search results. (ccleaner.downloadinfo.co). Foolish me clicked on the ad link instead of the link from Piriform.
Lovely. I wonder how many people see this and get tricked into messing their rig up with this garbage.
edit: Not sure if this is considered a necropost or not. If it is (I'm new here) my apologies.
