License file not readable by users

niks_nut · January 9, 2022, 12:10pm

Recently I noticed that when I was using CCleaner as a user that it would not clean up after I closed firefox.

I then noticed that I as user, was not a registered user, although as an administrator I was.

CCleaner generates a license file (.lic) after registration. This must be done by the Administrator of the system.

However CCleaner then sets the access privileges to the license file such that normal users cannot read the file. The result of which is that normal users do not have the access to the registered Pro-version, whereas the Admin´s do.

I can reset the privileges of this file as an administrator, but apparently the program resets these privileges again such that normal users are excluded.

I found a solution to this, basically excluding access to the file by the program, but obviously this is not as it should be.

Hope that the next version has this resolved.

Niks

nukecad · January 9, 2022, 7:46pm

I'm not sure that I see your point here?

You don't want a non-admin user to have the same access/privleges as an admin user.

If you did then you would simply make them an admin user.

A non-admin user can register CCleaner Pro, or use a CCleaner Pro that is registered to the admin account - but that wouldn't give them admin access to the computer, they would still need to be an admin user to have that access.

For example I have a 'Guest1' non-admin account on this laptop which can access/run my admin installed/registered CCleaner (which still shows the registered licence key in Options>About); but the Guest1 account can only do what their user status allows (ie. clean their own profile) and can't do anything with CCleaner that requires admin access to the laptop.

So the non-admin user could clean their own Firefox profile, but not anyone elses. You need admin access to clean another users profile.

You don't want a non-admin account to have access to other users accounts, that's why they are non-admin.

What you are proposing would let a non-admin user have the same privleges as an administrator when using CCleaner, and so they would be able to use CCleaner to access/delete anything on the computer that an admin could. (And that would be a big security hole).

niks_nut · January 9, 2022, 9:46pm

Incredible did you drink to much beer or whisky today already?

I stated: "However CCleaner then sets the access privileges to the license file such that normal users cannot read the file. The result of which is that normal users do not have the access to the registered Pro-version, whereas the Admin´s do."

When a user does not have ANY access to the license file, then the user´s version will always run in the "free" form, whereas he has paid for the functionality of the "pro" version.

This implies that certain functionality that only comes with the pro-version is not available to the user, when he does not have access to the license file.

Only when the user has at least "read access" to the license file does he have the functionality of the "pro" version available.

There is thus a bug in the program that wrongly sets the read privileges of the license file for users.

nukecad · January 10, 2022, 3:44am

There is no call to be insulting, and actually I've not had an alcoholic drink all year. (go on then 12 days).

Are you saying that if you log into your machine with an admin account then it runs CCleaner Pro, but if you log into the same machine with a non-admin account then it runs CCleaner Free?

As I said above my non-admin 'Guest1' account runs the same CCleaner Pro that is installed on my Admin account, (there is only one CCleaner installed on this machine), so the guest account is reading the same .dll in order to read the licence information.

Whichever account I switch to it always runs CCleaner Pro, as these screenshots show:

Just to be sure we are talking about the same thing, can I ask what Operating System you are talking about here?


(Windows, Mac, Android?)

The reason I ask that question is because you say:

Quote

<div class="ipsQuote_contents ipsClearfix" data-gramm="false">
	<p>
		CCleaner generates a license file (.lic) after registration. This must be done by the Administrator of the system.
	</p>
</div>

I've been using CCleaner on Windows for years now, and it's never had a file with a '.lic' extension on my Windows machines.

In Windows the CCleaner registration information is stored in a file called 'branding.dll', if you remove or rename that .dll then the installed CCleaner reverts to the Free version.

A standard non-admin account can read that .dll file (and so run CCleaner Pro) but can't modify or delete it.

(Unless you have manually changed the file read permission, or the user account permissions?)

There is no file with a '.lic' extension in the CCleaner directory (or sub-directories) in Windows.

I can try some more testing based on whatever information you come back with, but for me CCleaner always runs CCleaner Pro regardless of if I'm logged in as an admin or a non-admin user.

niks_nut · January 10, 2022, 8:19am

"Are you saying that if you log into your machine with an admin account then it runs CCleaner Pro, but if you log into the same machine with a non-admin account then it runs CCleaner Free? " Exactly that is what I am saying.

I also did not have this problem in the past it is new (very recent).

After I noticed the problem I started to investigate and found that the culprit was the access privileges to the .lic file for the user.

In addition, as I stated in my 1st Email it turns out that , when you change them as Admin to provide users with read access, the CCleaner program apparently resets these privileges wrongly again.

Hence the solution to prevent the program from resetting the access privileges to the .lic file, after having given read access to users.

My system is Win10Pro-64bit (completely updated latest version (19041.1415)), CCleaner Pro (5.88.9346 (64-bit)).

CCleaner.tif

system · January 10, 2022, 2:17pm

Hi @niks nut I've not yet been able to replicate this either and it seems as though there may be an issue with your installation as CCleaner now stores licensing information in a "CCleaner.dat" file - rather than in "CCleaner.lic".

Can you please uninstall your existing copy of CCleaner, then install the latest version of CCleaner Pro?

After uninstalling, you can download/install the latest version of CCleaner Pro from here: https://www.ccleaner.com/go/get_ccpro

Otherwise if the problem persists afterwards, can you please tell me if you still see a "CCleaner.lic" file in CCleaner's directory, or if you now see the appropriate "CCleaner.dat" file?

niks_nut · January 10, 2022, 5:56pm

MeganCCLeaner,

I did as you requested. De-installed, made sure that the whole directory was deleted and freshly re-installed CCleaner.

All with the same effect. I again have a .lic file with access privileges that prevent a user access to the Pro functionality.

I do not have a .dat file.

What is interesting to note is that upon activation, CCleaner presented me an old, now invalid, License number, not the latest that I have been using for some months.

Apparently some license history was still stored somewhere.

CCleanerNewInstall.tif

nukecad · January 10, 2022, 8:57pm

@niks nut @MeganCCleaner There is now another user reporting this same issue with non-admin users.

https://community.ccleaner.com/topic/61905-ccleaner-doesnt-start-as-a-professional-version-for-all-users/

So my apologies nicks nut, as I can't reproduce this on my machine (yet) and don't even have any '.lic' file (as my screenshot above shows) I was wondering what was going on with what you were reporting.

I note from your attached screenshot that you do have a 'branding.dll' - which is where the licence info is stored on my machine.

Although the licence <em>key</em> itself is in 'CCleaner.dat' on my machine.


But you don't seem to have a 'CCleaner.bat' at all, you have a 'CCleaner.lic' instead.

Which is odd; because as Megan notes:

Quote

<div class="ipsQuote_contents ipsClearfix" data-gramm="false">
	<p>
		<span style="background-color: rgb( var(--theme-area_background_reset) ); color: rgb( var(--theme-text_color) );">CCleaner now stores licensing information in a "CCleaner.dat" file - rather than in "CCleaner.lic".</span>
	</p>
</div>

New question - This may or may not be relevant, but did you get your CCleaner from Piriform, from the Microsoft Store, or from somehwere else?

niks_nut · January 11, 2022, 9:20am

I downloaded CCleaner always from Piriform directly.

I don´t use the windows store for anything.

I also went through the registry but could not find any hint to the .lic file, or the .dat file for that matter.

Anyway, I applied my workaround again and changed the privileges of the .lic file.

Attached are the privileges of the .lic file as they are after installation (3) and after I changed them (6).

Regards, hope you find a solution.

Niks

Privileges3.tif privileges6.tif

niks_nut · January 11, 2022, 10:47am

CCleaner, at least I assume it is, has just reset the permissions of the .lic file again back to original, while I was using it as user.

I have now changed it to the following which worked before.

Now lets see how long this holds.

Niks

Privileges9.tif

nukecad · January 11, 2022, 11:54am

Thanks for that info about getting your CCleaner from Piriform, I said it probably wasn't relevant but at least we can rule out other sources now.

The difference in behaviour does seem to be whether you have a '.lic' or a '.dat' file that holds the licence key.

It seems to be your having the '.lic' version that is causing your issue.


(TBH I've always had 'ccleaner.dat' and have never had a 'ccleaner.lic').

Maybe Megan can thrown some light as to why the two different filetypes now seem to exist. And why they are behaving differently like this.

(I'm only guessing but It may be something to do with the ongoing development of licences that can be used on both PC and Mac?)

system · January 11, 2022, 2:23pm

I've now discovered that the "CCleaner.lic" file is created when activating a license generated via our newer licensing platform, whereas the "CCleaner.dat" file is created when activating a license generated via our original licensing platform, which may explain why this is only a recent problem.

While that doesn't explain the permission issue, I have raised that with our development team so they can investigate further as I do not believe our intention is for it to work in the way that has been described, requiring administrative privileges for access to an activated version of the software - or in the way it resets the permission settings.

I am awaiting a response from them but meanwhile, @niks nut - would I have your permission to create a new license for you, using our original licensing platform?

If so, may I contact you via email for that, using the same address that is registered to your forums account?

niks_nut · January 11, 2022, 3:46pm

Sure,

do you need any further details, such as the current license key (ends with: 5C4B6J, valid through 17. Aug. 2022, via Cleverbridge email of 17. Aug. 2021)?

But I don´t think I need that.

My solution seems to work for now, it is just odd.

Thx, Niks

system · January 11, 2022, 6:41pm

Hi @niks nut I hope your solution will continue to work but would be curious to hear if the problem does reappear again in the future.

Meanwhile, we'll investigate further and we appreciate you for raising the issue.

License file not readable by users

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