MacKeeper

Last updated
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 system macOS 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
Type Utility software
License Proprietary commercial software
Website mackeeper.com   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

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

Contents

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

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

Coverage

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

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

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

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scareware</span> Malware designed to elicit fear, shock, or anxiety

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PCKeeper

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Kromtech Alliance Corp. is a Security software organization and IT investment and development company that develops software and provides customer support services for Apple's Mac OS. Kromtech Alliance Corp previously owned and distributed MacKeeper, Memory Keeper, and the anti-theft application Track My Mac.

Clario is a security software development company that offers consumer-facing digital security and privacy applications for use on a range of operating systems including iOS, Android, macOS.

References

  1. ↑ "MacKeeper 3.7". Softonic. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  2. ↑ Battersby, Jeffery (24 Aug 2010). "MacKeeper 0.9.6". 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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). "MacKeeper 0.9.6". 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. 1 2 Kahney, Leander (30 May 2012). "Is MacKeeper Really A Scam?". Cult of Mac.
  25. ↑ "MacKeeper, a rather slimy tale". 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. 1 2 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-åring 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.
  39. 1 2 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.
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