CCleaner has been hacked, it has emerged, putting some 2.27 million PC users at risk. CCleaner is a clean-up utility, so the last thing users would expect it to do is add malware to their computers.

The malware, which has been present in the software for the past month, sends various data such as the computer name, IP address, and lists of installed and active software and network adapters to a server in the US.

Piriform, the company behind CCleaner, is adamant that no sensitive data has been targeted, and confirms that it has now shut down this server before any known harm could be done.

How to protect your PC from the CCleaner hack

The good news is that Piriform has already fixed the vulnerability, taken down the server and, for those running the Cloud version (1.07.3191) of its software, the update has been automated.

However, those running the standard version will want to ensure they have updated to the latest version, particularly if they downloaded it in the past month.

The affected software is CCleaner 5.33.6162 (32-bit). Users should ensure they are running version 5.34 or higher.

You can download the latest version of CCleaner from Piriform's website.

If you would rather uninstall CCleaner from Windows 10 go to Start, Settings, System, Apps & Features, then find it in the list and select Uninstall.

Thank you for your post. I think that the best way to avoid the Ccleaner hack is to avoid installing it on your PC. Or, the best way is to download it from the official website. But for the last two years, Cleaner works not as good as before. It is only my opinion. I think it is better to check any other windows optimizer for your PC to use.