Piriform Software

Software company headquartered in London, England

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Piriform Software Ltd.

Company type| Subsidiary
Industry| Computer software
Founded| 15 September 2005; 19 years ago (2005-09-15)
Founders|

* Guy Saner
* Lindsey Whelan

Headquarters|

London

England

Products| CCleaner
Recuva
Defraggler
Speccy
CCleaner Cloud[1]
CCleaner Browser
Parent| Avast

Piriform Software Ltd. is a British software company based in London, owned since 2017 by Avast which itself became part of Gen Digital in 2022. The company develops cleaning and optimisation tools for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Android operating systems, including CCleaner, CCleaner Browser, Defraggler, Recuva and Speccy.[2][3] On 22 September 2015, Piriform launched CCleaner Cloud, a tool to maintain computers remotely.[4]

## History

[edit]

The company was founded in 2004.[5][6]

The name Piriform means "shaped like a pear," possibly referring to the British slang "to go pear-shaped".[citation needed]

CCleaner was launched in 2004 by founders Guy Saner and Lindsey Whelan. In July 2017, Piriform Ltd was acquired by Avast.[7][8]

In September 2017, researchers discovered that CCleaner was compromised by hackers who inserted a backdoor into the software, enabling remote access to infected machines.[9][7][10] The malware was in version 5.33 of CCleaner, prior to the acquisition by Avast. Avast quickly fixed the vulnerability and required version 5.33 users to update immediately.[11]

## CCleaner

[edit]

Main article: CCleaner

CCleaner is computer cleaning software featuring MacOS and Windows versions. CCleaner has the option to clean computer browser software including Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Firefox as well as a computer system's temporary files. It has a separate tab to clean the registry. (A potential backup of regedit is available.) CCleaner's other tools include editing and uninstalling programs, editing the operating system's startup apps and editing browser plugins. It can analyse hard disks individually to determine which files are taking the most space. It can search for duplicate files to help reduce drive storage space. It allows one to quickly access system restore points, and it can wipe clean the free space on individual drives to completely remove deleted files. In addition, CCleaner can automatically update computer software and drivers.

Piriform also distributes a web browser called CCleaner Browser, included as an optional add-on included within the CCleaner installer. The browser, built on Google's free and open-source project Chromium, includes built-in ad blocking and anti-tracking features. The browser is only available for Microsoft Windows.[12][13] The browser is identical to Avast Secure Browser, which is also owned by Piriform's parent company, Gen Digital.[14]

CCleaner also develops a tool called Kamo, which feeds trackers fake information to help stop a 'digital fingerprint' (a unique fingerprint that can be used to identify and track people) from being created. It supposedly makes websites and advertisers less able to show targeted ads, recommendations and price increases.[citation needed]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Piriform Blog - CCleaner Cloud has Launched!". Piriform. 22 September 2015. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
2. ^ "Piriform Product page". Piriform. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
3. ^ "Piriform company Info page". Piriform. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
4. ^ "A first look at CCleaner Cloud - gHacks Tech News". gHacks.net. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
5. ^ Ltd, Piriform Software. "Piriform Announces 2 Billion CCleaner Downloads Worldwide". www.prnewswire.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
6. ^ "Avast Acquires Piriform, Maker of CCleaner". Archived from the original on 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
7. ^ a b "Hackers compromised free CCleaner software, Avast's Piriform says". Reuters.com. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
8. ^ Sawers, Paul (19 July 2017). "Avast acquires Piriform, maker of popular system cleaning program CCleaner". VentureBeat.com. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
9. ^ "CCleanup: A Vast Number of Machines at Risk". blog.TalosIntelligence.com. September 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
10. ^ Leyden, John (6 October 2017). "Avast urges devs to secure toolchains after hacked build box led to CCleaner disaster". The Register.
11. ^ "CCleaner Malware". kaspersky.com. 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
12. ^ "CCleaner Browser". CCleaner. Gen Digital Inc.
13. ^ "What's the best browser on the market? | CCleaner". CCleaner. Gen Digital Inc.
14. ^ Venkat. "Piriform launches CCleaner browser, available for download". Techdows. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Piriform Software

A subsidiary of Avast, part of Gen Digital

Products|

* CCleaner
* Defraggler
* Recuva
* Speccy

* v
* t
* e

Gen Digital

People|

* Gary Hendrix (founder)
* Gordon Eubanks (1990s CEO)
* Vincent Pilette (current CEO)

Products|

| Current|

* Avast
* Avast Antivirus
* Avast Secure Browser
* Avast SecureLine VPN
* AVG
* AVG AntiVirus
* AVG PC TuneUp
* Avira
* CCleaner
* Defraggler
* Recuva
* Speccy
* HMA
* LifeLock
* Norton
* Norton 360
* Norton AntiVirus
* Norton Family
* Norton Insight
* Norton LiveUpdate
* Norton Power Eraser
* Norton Safe Web
* Norton System Insight
* SONAR

|

Spin off|

* Backup Exec
* Enterprise Vault
* Ghost Solution Suite (enterprise)
* Symantec Endpoint Protection
* Veritas File System
* Veritas Storage Foundation
* Veritas Volume Manager

Discontinued|

* Drive Image
* Norton Ghost
* GoBack
* GrandView
* MORE
* Norton 360
* Norton AntiBot
* Norton CleanSweep
* Norton Commander
* Norton ConnectSafe
* Norton Internet Security
* Norton PC Checkup
* Norton Personal Firewall
* Norton Security
* Norton SystemWorks
* Norton Utilities
* PartitionMagic
* pcAnywhere
* Q&A
* SQZ!
* SUM
* THINK C
* THINK Reference
* TimeLine
* Visual Café
* WinFax

Acquisitions
and mergers|

* @stake
* Altiris
* Avast
* AVG Technologies
* Piriform Software
* Avira
* Binary Research
* BindView
* Blue Coat Systems
* Breakthrough Software
* Brightmail
* Central Point Software
* Delrina
* Dynamic Microprocessor Associates
* Fast Track
* Fifth Generation Systems
* Leonard Development Group
* LifeLock
* LIRIC Associates
* ON Technology
* Peter Norton Computing
* PowerQuest
* Quarterdeck
* Quest Development
* Recourse Technologies
* Revivio
* Riptech
* SecurityFocus
* TurnTide
* Veritas Software†
* Whitewater Group

† Demerged in 2016

* Category
* Commons

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