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MacKeeper

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MacKeeper
Developer(s)Clario Tech Limited
Kromtech
Zeobit
Initial releaseOctober 1, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-10-01)
Stable release
6.7 / May 2024
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 Edit this on Wikidata

MacKeeper is an app for macOS cleaning, optimization, privacy, and security. It was initially developed by ZeoBIT, a company founded in 2009 and is now owned by Clario Tech.

MacKeeper has a troubled and litigious history under previous ownership. 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 on October 1, 2010, by ZeoBIT. It was marketed as a comprehensive suite for Mac users, providing tools for system cleaning, security, and optimization. The second version of MacKeeper went live in 2011. The app significantly differed from its initial version and introduced several new features and improvements designed to solidify its position as a comprehensive utility suite for Mac users. The two versions received multiple reviews[1][2].A 2011 press release by Avira and ZeoBIT revealed that MacKeeper integrated Avira's antivirus scanning engine[3].

In 2013, MacKeeper was sold to Kromtech Alliance Corp, which revamped the existing product and marketing strategies. The transition period involved drastic changes in the product’s development[4].Kromtech took steps to rebrand MacKeeper, focusing on improving the software’s functionality, including addressing user complaints and enhancing customer support.

MacKeeper 3 was released in 2015. In the same year, MacKeeper hit 20M downloads[5] and showcased a new Human Inside feature at CES 2015[6]. The discovery of private data via MacKeeper by a security researcher in 2016 underscored the critical importance of robust data security measures. The incident prompted immediate corrective actions and led to broader institutional efforts to strengthen cybersecurity protocols and prevent future breaches.

MacKeeper 4 was released by Kromtech in 2017. It was designed to be compliant with data protection standards, ensuring users' data privacy and security were prioritized[7]. In 2018, MacKeeper achieved the “Certified” status fromAppEsteem[8]. This certification was a significant milestone, indicating that MacKeeper met all of AppEsteem’s requirements for consumer-friendly software.

In 2019, Clario Tech acquired MacKeeper from Kromtech and released MacKeeper 5. Clario Tech emphasized a more ethical approach to marketing and user privacy. MacKeeper 5 received 3.5 of 5 star reviews from TechRadar and Macworld[9][10].

Also in 2019, MacKeeper got the certification from AV-TEST, an independent organization that evaluates and rates antivirus and security software based on various criteria, including protection, performance, and usability. The app achieved a 99.7% detection rate in this evaluation[11].

Later on, upon successful completion of the audit, MacKeeper was awarded ISO 27001 certification. This certification demonstrated that MacKeeper had implemented a robust and effective ISMS[12].

MacKeeper was notarized by Apple in early 2020. The notarization underscored the software’s commitment to security and compliance with Apple standards. It also demonstrated MacKeeper’s adherence to modern security practices, helping to further improve its reputation and user acceptance[13].

MacKeeper 6 was released in 2023, continuing the company's efforts to enhance the software’s capabilities, improve user trust, and address the evolving needs of macOS users. In March 2024, the latest version was also certified by AV-TEST and received 6/6 for its protection capabilities, 5.5/6 for its performance, and 6/6 for usability[14].

MacKeeper functionality

MacKeeper provides multiple tools that help Mac users keep their Macs clean, protected, optimized and protect their private information.

The functionality can be divided into four main categories—Cleaning, Performance, Security, and Privacy. It also features the Find & Fix tool designed for thorough Mac checkup and MacKeeper Premium Services[15].

Cleaning

  1. Safe Cleanup — helps detect and delete junk files, such as logs and cache, without risk of removing vital information.
  2. Duplicates Finder - finds duplicate files, similar photos, screenshots and helps remove them while leaving the original file safe[16].
  3. Smart Uninstaller - helps delete apps correctly and also remove any leftovers[17].

Performance

  1. Memory Cleaner - cleans Mac’s RAM (Random Access Memory) and allows users to monitor memory usage and control resource-intensive processes[18].
  2. Update Tracker - helps keep Mac apps up to date.
  3. Login Items - allows users to manage programs launching at startup[19].

Security

  1. Antivirus - finds and removes or quarantines malicious files in real time[20].
  2. Adware Cleaner - detects and deletes adware, sends instant notifications of any adware found[21][14].

According to AV-TEST, MacKeeper is able to detect 99.7% of malware[22].

Privacy

  1. ID Theft Guard - helps identify compromised passwords and monitors leaked data and SSN</ref>[23].
  2. Private Connect - a VPN that secures connection on public Wi-Fi and secures users’ activities from advertisers[24].
  3. StopAd - blocks ads and trackers[25].

Find & Fix

Scans a user’s Mac for any vulnerabilities and helps fix them[26].

MacKeeper Premium Services

This is the team of MacKeeper’s tech experts who perform 24/7 live support to solve any tech issues users encounter[27].

Major releases and milestones

MacKeeper 1 - 2010

  • Launched beta version in April
  • Released Anti-Theft feature

MacKeeper 2 - 2011

  • Updated user interface and navigation
  • Introduced a live chat feature as part of its customer support services

MacKeeper 3 - 2015

  • Redesigned user interface
  • New Memory Cleaner tool, focused on managing and freeing up RAM
  • Updated real-time support
  • Hit 20M downloads and handled 1M requests
  • Localized in 19 languages[28]

MacKeeper 4 - 2017

  • New VPN feature
  • New ID Theft Guard tool
  • New StopAd instrument
  • AppEsteem certification

MacKeeper 5 - 2019

  • Added real-time antivirus security
  • Updated Ad Blocker tool for Google Chrome with new UI
  • Enhanced identity theft protection
  • Received ISO 27001 certification
  • Notarized by Apple in early 2020

MacKeeper 6 - 2023

  • Updated VPN service with more server locations
  • Upgraded Antivirus Engine with bug fixes and security updates
  • Added a context menu for Update Tracker and Duplicates Finder
  • Reworked update logic to minimize traffic consumption

Reception

Coverage

Many antivirus programs classified MacKeeper version 3 as a potentially unwanted program or adware and prompted users to remove it.[29][30][31][32] 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.[19] Both Tom's Guide and Macworld have published how-to guides for deleting the software.[20][33][14] Version 1 & 2 of the program received mixed reviews, with reviewers being divided as to the effectiveness of the software.[34][35] Some versions of MacKeeper opened a critical security hole in customers' Macs; Kromtech later issued a fix.[24] 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.[36] French news outlet Le Figaro called MacKeeper a scam, and criticized its reliance on "fear".[26][20] Computerworld described MacKeeper as "a virulent piece of software".[37]

MacKeeper's marketing tactics drew criticism.[38][6] Zeobit was accused of employing aggressive pop-under ads, planting sockpuppet reviews, and setting up websites to discredit its competitors.[38][39][40] 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][41] Top Ten Reviews noted that other Mac anti-malware apps had better detection rates, resulting in a score of 7.5 out of 10.[42] A July 2017 AV-TEST assessment found MacKeeper only detected 85.9 percent of the tested malware.[43][44]

Lawsuits

In January 2014, a class action lawsuit was filed against Zeobit in Illinois.[45] 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.[45] 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.[46][6] On 10 August 2015, Zeobit settled the lawsuit for US$2 million.[47] Customers who bought MacKeeper before 8 July 2015 could apply to get a refund.[48][49]

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.[50] In 2014, Kromtech sued David A. Cox, who had made a video criticizing MacKeeper; the judge dismissed the case.[51] 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.[52]

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.[53][54] The app was certified by AV-TEST.[55] The new version includes a VPN, on-demand virus scanning, a memory cleaner, and a disk cleaner.[53]

MacKeeper was developed by ZeoBIT, a company founded in 2009. The first version of MacKeeper was released on October 1, 2010. In 2013, MacKeeper was sold to Kromtech Alliance Corp. Finally in 2019, Clario Tech acquired MacKeeper from Kromtech and is the current owner.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "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. ^ 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 c d Breen, Christopher (2017-02-14). "How to uninstall MacKeeper from your Mac". Macworld. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  15. ^ Matthews, Mike (2018-01-14). "What MacKeeper is and why you should remove it from your Mac". iMore. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  16. ^ Withers, Stephen. "2018 Malware outlook: more of the same, says Sophos". ITwire. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  17. ^ Reed, Thomas. "PUP Friday: MacKeeper | Malwarebytes Labs". Malwarebytes. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  18. ^ "MacKeeper detection results". VirusTotal. May 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Max Slater-Robins. "Here's what MacKeeper is — and why you should avoid it". Business Insider.
  20. ^ a b c Cohen, Peter (2015-01-21). "What 'MacKeeper' is and why you should avoid it". iMore.
  21. ^ Honorof, Marshall (2015-10-23). "How to Get Rid of MacKeeper". Tom's Guide.
  22. ^ Battersby, Jeffery (24 Aug 2010). "MacKeeper 0.9.6". Macworld. Archived from the original on 2013-03-14.
  23. ^ Berenstain, Adam (23 September 2011). "MacKeeper System Maintenance Suite Review". MacLife.
  24. ^ a b Lucian Constantin (May 11, 2015). "Controversial MacKeeper security program opens critical hole on Mac computers". PCWorld. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  25. ^ Krebs, Brian (December 14, 2015). "13 Million MacKeeper Users Exposed". Krebs on Security. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  26. ^ a b Darmanin, Jules (December 16, 2015). "Les données personnelles de 13 millions d'utilisateurs de MacKeeper exposées". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  27. ^ Evans, Jonny (2018-02-14). "Mac: What does 'System Scan is Recommended' mean?". Computerworld. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  28. ^ Matthews, Mike (2018-01-14). "What MacKeeper is and why you should remove it from your Mac". iMore. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  29. ^ Matthews, Mike (2018-01-14). "What MacKeeper is and why you should remove it from your Mac". iMore. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  30. ^ Withers, Stephen. "2018 Malware outlook: more of the same, says Sophos". ITwire. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  31. ^ Reed, Thomas. "PUP Friday: MacKeeper | Malwarebytes Labs". Malwarebytes. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  32. ^ "MacKeeper detection results". VirusTotal. May 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  33. ^ Honorof, Marshall (2015-10-23). "How to Get Rid of MacKeeper". Tom's Guide.
  34. ^ Battersby, Jeffery (24 Aug 2010). "MacKeeper 0.9.6". Macworld. Archived from the original on 2013-03-14.
  35. ^ Berenstain, Adam (23 September 2011). "MacKeeper System Maintenance Suite Review". MacLife.
  36. ^ Krebs, Brian (December 14, 2015). "13 Million MacKeeper Users Exposed". Krebs on Security. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  37. ^ Evans, Jonny (2018-02-14). "Mac: What does 'System Scan is Recommended' mean?". Computerworld. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  38. ^ a b Kahney, Leander (30 May 2012). "Is MacKeeper Really A Scam?". Cult of Mac.
  39. ^ "MacKeeper, a rather slimy tale". TheMacFeed. Archived from the original on June 21, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  40. ^ "Here's what MacKeeper is - and why you should avoid it". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  41. ^ Hoffman, Chris (2014-03-13). "Does Your Mac Really Need Tools Like MacKeeper?". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  42. ^ "Kromtech MacKeeper Review". Purch Group. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  43. ^ "10 Antivirus Suites for MacOS Sierra Put to the Test". AV-TEST. 2017-07-05.
  44. ^ Perler, Luca (2017-07-19). "Die besten Virenscanner für Mac-Rechner" (in German). Computerworld.
  45. ^ a b Bouboushian, Jack (January 21, 2014). "Class Says 'MacKeeper; Software is Junkware". Courthouse News Service.
  46. ^ Lord, Rich. "Pennsylvania woman sues company that promises computer security". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  47. ^ Clover, Juli. "Customers Who Bought MacKeeper Can Get a Refund Under New Settlement". Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  48. ^ "Yencha v. ZeoBIT LLC Class Action Settlement". Yencha v. ZeoBIT LLC. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  49. ^ Jeremy Kirk (27 May 2015). "Ads for MacKeeper refunds will run on Facebook". Computerworld(IDG).
  50. ^ 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.
  51. ^ "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.
  52. ^ 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.
  53. ^ a b Dvorak, Chyelle; Faulds, John (2021-05-11). "MacKeeper review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  54. ^ Martin, Keith. "MacKeeper 5 review". Macworld UK. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  55. ^ Haslam, Karen (2017-08-31). "Do Macs get viruses, and do Macs need antivirus software?". Macworld. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
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