Malwarebytes, the popular malware prevention and remediation company, today announced a complete acquisition of AdwCleaner, the free software that has been riding on its success within the last few months.
AdwCleaner is one of the worlds most frequently downloaded tools for removing Adware, Potentially Unwanted Programs or PUPs, Unwanted Toolbars, Crapware, Browser Hijackers, Junkware & other forms of malware, and currently has over 200 million all-time downloads, with 200,000 new users getting added each day.
Founded in 2011 by three French teenagers, AdwCleaner has been a runaway success in the past 5 years. Jérôme Boursier and Corentin Chepeau, two of the founders who continue their involvement while attending university in France, released the sixth major update in 2016. Both of them will now join Malwarebytes in managerial and research roles.
“While dangerous malware is still on the rise, there is a growing trend for programs that operate in a legally grey area to achieve questionable ends. We have seen some PUPs that are blatantly illegal; most are simply unethical and abusing privilege, which is why we are taking such an overt stance against them. The acquisition will help further this cause. Many PUPs present a security risk that is growing. Last year, we removed PUPs off of tens of millions of endpoints. Eliminating PUPs will make businesses and consumers safer,” said Marcin Kleczynski, CEO, Malwarebytes.
It has been decided that for the short-term, AdwCleaner will retain its current branding, with external support from Malwarebytes. This acquisition will help Malwarebytes grow within Europe, Asia, and additional countries outside of the United States. Malwarebytes will also integrate many of the proprietary techniques and detections into their flagship products.
It is heartening to know that AdwCleanr will continue to be available as a free standalone tool.
