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MacKeeper

MacKeeper is a cleanup utility for macOS. MacKeeper was developed by ZeoBIT, later acquired by Kromtech, and is currently owned by Clario Tech.

MacKeeper
Developer(s)Clario Tech Limited
Kromtech
Zeobit
Initial releaseOctober 1, 2010; 13 years ago (2010-10-01)
Stable release
5.8 / December 2021
Operating systemmacOS OS X El Capitan 10.11 or later
Available in18 languages[1]
List of languages
Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
TypeUtility software
LicenseProprietary commercial software
Websitemackeeper.com 

MacKeeper has a troubled and litigious history. Zeobit settled a class action lawsuit accusing them of deceptive advertising and making false claims about MacKeeper's capabilities, and Kromtech unsuccessfully sued MacKeeper critics. Some versions are difficult to uninstall, and some versions have been flagged as undesirable by other anti-virus programs. In 2015, the personal information of 13 million users was publicly accessible on the web.

History edit

MacKeeper was first released in 2010 by Zeobit. Versions 1 and 2 received mixed reviews.[2][3][4] A 2011 press release by Avira and ZeoBIT revealed that MacKeeper integrated Avira's antivirus scanning engine.[5] In April 2013, MacKeeper was acquired by Kromtech. Kromtech was closely affiliated with Zeobit, and hired many former Kyiv-based Zeobit employees.[6] In December 2015, security researcher Chris Vickery found that MacKeeper customer data was unsecured and publicly accessible on the internet, exposing the emails, phone numbers, and other information of over 13 million MacKeeper users; Kromtech rapidly secured the customer database.[7][8] In 2019, a newly-founded company, Clario Tech, acquired Kromtech and MacKeeper.[9]

Reception edit

Coverage edit

Many antivirus programs classified MacKeeper version 3 as a potentially unwanted program or adware and prompted users to remove it.[10][11][12][13] The official uninstaller "[left] pieces behind", resulting in regular pop-ups to convince users to reinstall the app.[14] Business Insider recommended users avoid or uninstall the product.[15] Both Tom's Guide and MacWorld have published how-to guides for deleting the software.[16][17][14] Version 1 & 2 of the program received mixed reviews, with reviewers being divided as to the effectiveness of the software.[18][19] Some versions of MacKeeper opened a critical security hole in customers' Macs; Kromtech later issued a fix.[20] AV-Comparatives found that MacKeeper warned of "serious" issues on a brand-new clean copy of macOS, which could only be fixed by purchasing the program.[6] This was deemed scareware by cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs.[21] French news outlet Le Figaro called MacKeeper a scam, and criticized its reliance on "fear".[22][16] Computerworld described MacKeeper as "a virulent piece of software".[23]

MacKeeper's marketing tactics drew criticism.[24][6] Zeobit was accused of employing aggressive pop-under ads, planting sockpuppet reviews, and setting up websites to discredit its competitors.[24][25][26] In 2015, PCWorld noted that MacKeeper ads were "all over the web", and that Kromtech claimed to be buying 60 million ad impressions a month. MacKeeper was in part promoted by affiliate sellers, who could earn a 50% commission for sales of the app. Some affiliates promoted MacKeeper in adware. After media criticism, Kromtech claimed it revamped its affiliate program.[6]

MacKeeper's usefulness was disputed by tech media; anti-malware, secure erase, backup, encryption, and anti-theft were either built-into macOS or available for free.[6][27] Top Ten Reviews noted that other Mac anti-malware apps had better detection rates, resulting in a score of 7.5 out of 10.[28] A July 2017 AV-TEST assessment found MacKeeper only detected 85.9 percent of the tested malware.[29][30]

Lawsuits edit

In January 2014, a class action lawsuit was filed against Zeobit in Illinois.[31] The lawsuit alleged that "neither the free trial nor the full registered versions of MacKeeper performed any credible diagnostic testing" and reported that a consumer's Mac was in need of repair and was at-risk due to harmful error.[31] In May 2014 a lawsuit was filed against Zeobit in Pennsylvania, alleging that MacKeeper fakes security problems to deceive victims into paying for unneeded fixes.[32][6] On 10 August 2015, Zeobit settled the lawsuit for US$2 million.[33] Customers who bought MacKeeper before 8 July 2015 could apply to get a refund.[34][35]

Kromtech also filed at least two unsuccessful defamation lawsuits against MacKeeper critics. In July 2013 Kromtech sued MacPaw, the developers of CleanMyMac, which was dismissed before the hearing.[36] In 2014, Kromtech sued David A. Cox, who had made a video criticizing MacKeeper; the judge dismissed the case.[37] In July 2016, Kromtech sent a cease and desist letter to Luqman Wadood, a 14-year old technology reviewer who made YouTube videos critical of the app; Luqman said the videos were diplomatic.[38]

Acquisition edit

In 2019, MacKeeper was acquired by a newly-founded company, Clario Tech.[9] In November 2020, Clario released MacKeeper 5, which received 3.5 of 5 start reviews from TechRadar and Macworld.[39][40] The app was certified by AV-TEST.[41] The new version includes a VPN, on-demand virus scanning, a memory cleaner, and a disk cleaner.[39]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "MacKeeper 3.7". Softonic. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  2. ^ Battersby, Jeffery (24 Aug 2010). . Macworld. Archived from the original on 2013-03-14.
  3. ^ Berenstain, Adam (23 September 2011). "MacKeeper System Maintenance Suite Review". MacLife.
  4. ^ "Product Review: Mac Security - July 2013" (PDF). AV-Comparatives. 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Avira's Anti-Virus Technology Used by ZeoBIT in New System Utility - MacKeeper". BusinessWire. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Kirk, Jeremy (5 May 2015). "MacKeeper celebrates a difficult birthday under the cloud of a class action lawsuit". PC World. IDG.
  7. ^ Storm, Darlene (2015-12-16). "13 million MacKeeper users exposed by Shodan search, no password or hacking required". Computerworld. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  8. ^ Brewster, Thomas. "MacKeeper Leaks 13 Million Mac Owners' Data, Leaves Passwords Open To Easy Cracking". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  9. ^ a b "The Security Interviews: Can AV go from dodgy scareware to cyber hero?". ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  10. ^ Matthews, Mike (2018-01-14). "What MacKeeper is and why you should remove it from your Mac". iMore. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  11. ^ Withers, Stephen. "2018 Malware outlook: more of the same, says Sophos". ITwire. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  12. ^ Reed, Thomas. "PUP Friday: MacKeeper | Malwarebytes Labs". Malwarebytes. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  13. ^ "MacKeeper detection results". VirusTotal. May 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Breen, Christopher (2017-02-14). "How to uninstall MacKeeper from your Mac". MacWorld. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  15. ^ Max Slater-Robins. "Here's what MacKeeper is — and why you should avoid it". Business Insider.
  16. ^ a b Cohen, Peter (2015-01-21). "What 'MacKeeper' is and why you should avoid it". iMore.
  17. ^ Honorof, Marshall (2015-10-23). "How to Get Rid of MacKeeper". Tom's Guide.
  18. ^ Battersby, Jeffery (24 Aug 2010). . Macworld. Archived from the original on 2013-03-14.
  19. ^ Berenstain, Adam (23 September 2011). "MacKeeper System Maintenance Suite Review". MacLife.
  20. ^ Lucian Constantin (May 11, 2015). "Controversial MacKeeper security program opens critical hole on Mac computers". PCWorld. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  21. ^ Krebs, Brian (December 14, 2015). "13 Million MacKeeper Users Exposed". Krebs on Security. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  22. ^ Darmanin, Jules (December 16, 2015). "Les données personnelles de 13 millions d'utilisateurs de MacKeeper exposées". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  23. ^ Evans, Jonny (2018-02-14). "Mac: What does 'System Scan is Recommended' mean?". Computerworld. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  24. ^ a b Kahney, Leander (30 May 2012). "Is MacKeeper Really A Scam?". Cult of Mac.
  25. ^ . TheMacFeed. Archived from the original on June 21, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  26. ^ "Here's what MacKeeper is - and why you should avoid it". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  27. ^ Hoffman, Chris (2014-03-13). "Does Your Mac Really Need Tools Like MacKeeper?". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  28. ^ "Kromtech MacKeeper Review". Purch Group. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  29. ^ "10 Antivirus Suites for MacOS Sierra Put to the Test". AV-TEST. 2017-07-05.
  30. ^ Perler, Luca (2017-07-19). "Die besten Virenscanner für Mac-Rechner" (in German). Computerworld.
  31. ^ a b Bouboushian, Jack (January 21, 2014). "Class Says 'MacKeeper; Software is Junkware". Courthouse News Service.
  32. ^ Lord, Rich. "Pennsylvania woman sues company that promises computer security". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  33. ^ Clover, Juli. "Customers Who Bought MacKeeper Can Get a Refund Under New Settlement". Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  34. ^ "Yencha v. ZeoBIT LLC Class Action Settlement". Yencha v. ZeoBIT LLC. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  35. ^ Jeremy Kirk (27 May 2015). "Ads for MacKeeper refunds will run on Facebook". Computerworld(IDG).
  36. ^ Tennant, Don (28 May 2015). "MacKeeper's Tarnished Reputation Tip: Convey Your Message, or Others Will Do It for You". IT Business Edge. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  37. ^ "ORDER AND REASONS granting 8 Motion to Dismiss Tech TalkAmerica, LLC for Kromtech of USA, LLC v. Cox et al :: Justia Dockets & Filings". Justia. n.d. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  38. ^ Kallelid, Magnus (23 July 2016). [14-year-old from Madla was threatened by US IT company] (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  39. ^ a b Dvorak, Chyelle; Faulds, John (2021-05-11). "MacKeeper review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  40. ^ Martin, Keith. "MacKeeper 5 review". Macworld UK. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  41. ^ Haslam, Karen (2017-08-31). "Do Macs get viruses, and do Macs need antivirus software?". MacWorld. Retrieved 2017-11-12.

mackeeper, cleanup, utility, macos, developed, zeobit, later, acquired, kromtech, currently, owned, clario, tech, developer, clario, tech, limited, kromtech, zeobitinitial, releaseoctober, 2010, years, 2010, stable, release5, december, 2021operating, systemmac. MacKeeper is a cleanup utility for macOS MacKeeper was developed by ZeoBIT later acquired by Kromtech and is currently owned by Clario Tech MacKeeperDeveloper s Clario Tech Limited Kromtech ZeobitInitial releaseOctober 1 2010 13 years ago 2010 10 01 Stable release5 8 December 2021Operating systemmacOS OS X El Capitan 10 11 or laterAvailable in18 languages 1 List of languagesChinese Czech Danish Dutch English Finnish French German Italian Japanese Korean Norwegian Polish Portuguese Russian Spanish Swedish TurkishTypeUtility softwareLicenseProprietary commercial softwareWebsitemackeeper wbr com MacKeeper has a troubled and litigious history Zeobit settled a class action lawsuit accusing them of deceptive advertising and making false claims about MacKeeper s capabilities and Kromtech unsuccessfully sued MacKeeper critics Some versions are difficult to uninstall and some versions have been flagged as undesirable by other anti virus programs In 2015 the personal information of 13 million users was publicly accessible on the web Contents 1 History 2 Reception 2 1 Coverage 2 2 Lawsuits 3 Acquisition 4 See also 5 ReferencesHistory editMacKeeper was first released in 2010 by Zeobit Versions 1 and 2 received mixed reviews 2 3 4 A 2011 press release by Avira and ZeoBIT revealed that MacKeeper integrated Avira s antivirus scanning engine 5 In April 2013 MacKeeper was acquired by Kromtech Kromtech was closely affiliated with Zeobit and hired many former Kyiv based Zeobit employees 6 In December 2015 security researcher Chris Vickery found that MacKeeper customer data was unsecured and publicly accessible on the internet exposing the emails phone numbers and other information of over 13 million MacKeeper users Kromtech rapidly secured the customer database 7 8 In 2019 a newly founded company Clario Tech acquired Kromtech and MacKeeper 9 Reception editCoverage edit Many antivirus programs classified MacKeeper version 3 as a potentially unwanted program or adware and prompted users to remove it 10 11 12 13 The official uninstaller left pieces behind resulting in regular pop ups to convince users to reinstall the app 14 Business Insider recommended users avoid or uninstall the product 15 Both Tom s Guide and MacWorld have published how to guides for deleting the software 16 17 14 Version 1 amp 2 of the program received mixed reviews with reviewers being divided as to the effectiveness of the software 18 19 Some versions of MacKeeper opened a critical security hole in customers Macs Kromtech later issued a fix 20 AV Comparatives found that MacKeeper warned of serious issues on a brand new clean copy of macOS which could only be fixed by purchasing the program 6 This was deemed scareware by cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs 21 French news outlet Le Figaro called MacKeeper a scam and criticized its reliance on fear 22 16 Computerworld described MacKeeper as a virulent piece of software 23 MacKeeper s marketing tactics drew criticism 24 6 Zeobit was accused of employing aggressive pop under ads planting sockpuppet reviews and setting up websites to discredit its competitors 24 25 26 In 2015 PCWorld noted that MacKeeper ads were all over the web and that Kromtech claimed to be buying 60 million ad impressions a month MacKeeper was in part promoted by affiliate sellers who could earn a 50 commission for sales of the app Some affiliates promoted MacKeeper in adware After media criticism Kromtech claimed it revamped its affiliate program 6 MacKeeper s usefulness was disputed by tech media anti malware secure erase backup encryption and anti theft were either built into macOS or available for free 6 27 Top Ten Reviews noted that other Mac anti malware apps had better detection rates resulting in a score of 7 5 out of 10 28 A July 2017 AV TEST assessment found MacKeeper only detected 85 9 percent of the tested malware 29 30 Lawsuits edit In January 2014 a class action lawsuit was filed against Zeobit in Illinois 31 The lawsuit alleged that neither the free trial nor the full registered versions of MacKeeper performed any credible diagnostic testing and reported that a consumer s Mac was in need of repair and was at risk due to harmful error 31 In May 2014 a lawsuit was filed against Zeobit in Pennsylvania alleging that MacKeeper fakes security problems to deceive victims into paying for unneeded fixes 32 6 On 10 August 2015 Zeobit settled the lawsuit for US 2 million 33 Customers who bought MacKeeper before 8 July 2015 could apply to get a refund 34 35 Kromtech also filed at least two unsuccessful defamation lawsuits against MacKeeper critics In July 2013 Kromtech sued MacPaw the developers of CleanMyMac which was dismissed before the hearing 36 In 2014 Kromtech sued David A Cox who had made a video criticizing MacKeeper the judge dismissed the case 37 In July 2016 Kromtech sent a cease and desist letter to Luqman Wadood a 14 year old technology reviewer who made YouTube videos critical of the app Luqman said the videos were diplomatic 38 Acquisition editIn 2019 MacKeeper was acquired by a newly founded company Clario Tech 9 In November 2020 Clario released MacKeeper 5 which received 3 5 of 5 start reviews from TechRadar and Macworld 39 40 The app was certified by AV TEST 41 The new version includes a VPN on demand virus scanning a memory cleaner and a disk cleaner 39 See also edit nbsp Companies portalComparison of antivirus software Comparison of firewalls CleanMyMac X other cleanup utility and competitor of MacKeeperReferences edit MacKeeper 3 7 Softonic Retrieved 2018 05 30 Battersby Jeffery 24 Aug 2010 MacKeeper 0 9 6 Macworld Archived from the original on 2013 03 14 Berenstain Adam 23 September 2011 MacKeeper System Maintenance Suite Review MacLife Product Review Mac Security July 2013 PDF AV Comparatives 2013 Retrieved 12 July 2013 Avira s Anti Virus Technology Used by ZeoBIT in New System Utility MacKeeper BusinessWire 2011 03 11 Retrieved 2022 11 05 a b c d e f Kirk Jeremy 5 May 2015 MacKeeper celebrates a difficult birthday under the cloud of a class action lawsuit PC World IDG Storm Darlene 2015 12 16 13 million MacKeeper users exposed by Shodan search no password or hacking required Computerworld Retrieved 2022 11 05 Brewster Thomas MacKeeper Leaks 13 Million Mac Owners Data Leaves Passwords Open To Easy Cracking Forbes Retrieved 2022 11 05 a b The Security Interviews Can AV go from dodgy scareware to cyber hero ComputerWeekly com Retrieved 2022 11 05 Matthews Mike 2018 01 14 What MacKeeper is and why you should remove it from your Mac iMore Retrieved 2022 11 06 Withers Stephen 2018 Malware outlook more of the same says Sophos ITwire Retrieved 2022 11 05 Reed Thomas PUP Friday MacKeeper Malwarebytes Labs Malwarebytes Retrieved 2022 11 05 MacKeeper detection results VirusTotal May 17 2017 Archived from the original on November 5 2022 Retrieved November 5 2022 a b Breen Christopher 2017 02 14 How to uninstall MacKeeper from your Mac MacWorld Retrieved 2017 11 11 Max Slater Robins Here s what MacKeeper is and why you should avoid it Business Insider a b Cohen Peter 2015 01 21 What MacKeeper is and why you should avoid it iMore Honorof Marshall 2015 10 23 How to Get Rid of MacKeeper Tom s Guide Battersby Jeffery 24 Aug 2010 MacKeeper 0 9 6 Macworld Archived from the original on 2013 03 14 Berenstain Adam 23 September 2011 MacKeeper System Maintenance Suite Review MacLife Lucian Constantin May 11 2015 Controversial MacKeeper security program opens critical hole on Mac computers PCWorld Retrieved October 24 2018 Krebs Brian December 14 2015 13 Million MacKeeper Users Exposed Krebs on Security Retrieved 2022 11 05 Darmanin Jules December 16 2015 Les donnees personnelles de 13 millions d utilisateurs de MacKeeper exposees Le Figaro in French Retrieved 2022 11 05 Evans Jonny 2018 02 14 Mac What does System Scan is Recommended mean Computerworld Retrieved 2018 05 30 a b Kahney Leander 30 May 2012 Is MacKeeper Really A Scam Cult of Mac MacKeeper a rather slimy tale TheMacFeed Archived from the original on June 21 2011 Retrieved November 5 2022 Here s what MacKeeper is and why you should avoid it Business Insider Retrieved 2022 11 05 Hoffman Chris 2014 03 13 Does Your Mac Really Need Tools Like MacKeeper MakeUseOf Retrieved 2022 11 05 Kromtech MacKeeper Review Purch Group Retrieved 3 March 2017 10 Antivirus Suites for MacOS Sierra Put to the Test AV TEST 2017 07 05 Perler Luca 2017 07 19 Die besten Virenscanner fur Mac Rechner in German Computerworld a b Bouboushian Jack January 21 2014 Class Says MacKeeper Software is Junkware Courthouse News Service Lord Rich Pennsylvania woman sues company that promises computer security Pittsburgh Post Gazette Retrieved 12 May 2014 Clover Juli Customers Who Bought MacKeeper Can Get a Refund Under New Settlement Retrieved 2015 08 10 Yencha v ZeoBIT LLC Class Action Settlement Yencha v ZeoBIT LLC 7 August 2015 Retrieved 10 August 2015 Jeremy Kirk 27 May 2015 Ads for MacKeeper refunds will run on Facebook Computerworld IDG Tennant Don 28 May 2015 MacKeeper s Tarnished Reputation Tip Convey Your Message or Others Will Do It for You IT Business Edge Retrieved 13 November 2015 ORDER AND REASONS granting 8 Motion to Dismiss Tech TalkAmerica LLC for Kromtech of USA LLC v Cox et al Justia Dockets amp Filings Justia n d Retrieved 13 November 2015 Kallelid Magnus 23 July 2016 14 aring fra Madla ble truet av amerikansk dataselskap 14 year old from Madla was threatened by US IT company in Norwegian Stavanger Aftenblad Archived from the original on July 24 2016 Retrieved November 5 2022 a b Dvorak Chyelle Faulds John 2021 05 11 MacKeeper review TechRadar Retrieved 2021 09 29 Martin Keith MacKeeper 5 review Macworld UK Retrieved 2021 09 29 Haslam Karen 2017 08 31 Do Macs get viruses and do Macs need antivirus software MacWorld Retrieved 2017 11 12 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title MacKeeper amp oldid 1175109771, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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