app bundler found in virus scan [false positive]

[Homerj222]

After updating a couple drivers on my PC it started acting buggy and slow. I cleaned it and ran a full security scan. Windows Quarantined this, PUA:Win32/PiriformBundler

Now my Pc is running normally. Also I find it VERY frustrating that I cannot find a way to contact Piriform as a paid subscriber. Which will probably end now.

Can I trust CCleaner now? I'm not sure. Thanks for any advice

[nukecad]

Something to know is that the term PUA stands for 'Potentialy Unwanted Application'.

The thing that you should take note of there is the word- Potentially.
(It means 'might be').

That is someones personal opinion that they might not want that app - but whether it is 'Unwanted' or not is up to you not them.

Occasionally someone decides to try and force their personal opinion on others, even some Microsoft employees do it now and again. (They should know better and get pulled up when they do).

But it's your choice if something is unwanted or not.
Some people want things, other people don't want them.

So:
Updating your driver(s) caused you a problem, that is not unknown. (And sometimes not unusual).
Updating Drivers can result is problems, but that is because the updated driver is not the right one for your machine.
(Personally I would not use any Driver Updater, I would decide first if it needs to be updated and if it does then update it myself - but again that is my choice).

PUA's  (and PUM's - Potentialy Unwanted Modifications) should be treated as just alerts/warnings from your security app that you may want to take a closer look at what something may be doing.

It's then up to you to decide if you want to keep using it or not.

Millions of people around the world use CCleaner, they don't consider it a 'Unwanted' Application.
Some do consider it unwanted, but they shouldn't be trying to force that opinion on everyone else.

(As an example Facebook is unwanted by me, but I wouldn't try to tell anybody else that they shouldn't use it. That's their choice if they want it or not).

Now having said all that:
The 'PiriformBundler' that is being objected to is not in CCleaner itself.

It is a component of the Standard Installer for CCleaner, (CCsetup###.exe)  and it will only run when you install CCleaner from the Standard Installer.
It is the page that comes up offering an additional software.
That page has very big 'Decline' and 'Accept' buttons.
It will only run, and you will only see it, when you are installing CCleaner.

 

[Homerj222]

All I know is that I’ve used ccleaner for years and that after quarantining that item all is good. I also won’t be updating drivers unless one has an issue. 

[hazelnut]

See here

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=PUA%3AWin32%2FPiriformBundler

and here

https://community.ccleaner.com/topic/59703-cccleaner-free-version-being-flagged-as-puawin32piriformbundler-solved/

 

[Dave CCleaner]

@Homerj222: What file did Defender flag?  Microsoft decided to take exception to the free installer of CCleaner 5.69 (although not CCleaner itself) and multiple prior versions retrospectively, but this was sorted out with them as of CCleaner 5.70 - which was released back in August 2020 (https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/version-history)

The latest free installer (CCleaner 5.85) shows as problem-free on all AV engines: https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/6075fd4dc0f315f086493de9e970176ced27e1ec817c5710a647d271e4d364f1/detection

 

19 hours ago, Homerj222 said:

I find it VERY frustrating that I cannot find a way to contact Piriform as a paid subscriber

Although there is a "contact us" at the bottom of each of the support articles on the website, as a paid subscriber you can also contact CCleaner customer support directly using the email address in the order confirmation email from Cleverbridge that you received on September 11th: 

... or one of the other items of correspondence that you would have received from CCleaner in the months prior.

If you are using CCleaner Professional, there should not have been any Defender issues with that.  Sounds like it picked up an old free installer file for CCleaner 5.69 or prior that you may have still had sitting in your downloads folder from a couple of years ago?