MacKeeper

MacKeeper

MacKeeper front screen
Developer(s) Zeobit, Kromtech Alliance
Initial release May 13, 2010
Stable release MacKeeper 3.3.4 / March 16, 2015
Operating system Mac OS X Intel Mac OS X 10.5 or later
Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, French, Polish, Turkish, and Russian, German, Italian, Finnish, Czech, Japanese, Korean and Chinese
Type Utility software
License Proprietary commercial software
Website mackeeper.com

MacKeeper is a utility software suite for Mac OS X advertised to optimize, clean and secure a computer system.[1] It was initially developed in 2009 by Zeobit, headquartered in the United States. In April 2013, Kromtech Alliance acquired MacKeeper.[2]

As of 2014, three major versions of MacKeeper have been released and the number of included components have been increased to sixteen. MacKeeper's components, especially anti-theft system feature, have attained some positive professional reviews,[3][4] but multiple reviewers criticized the company's marketing and promotional techniques.[5][6][7]

History

The first beta-version of MacKeeper 0.8 was released on 13 May 2010.[8] MacKeeper 1.0 was released on October 26, 2010.[9] MacKeeper 2.0 was released on 30 January 2012 at Macworld – iWorld with an expanded number of utilities related to security, data control, cleaning and optimization.[10] Kromtech Alliance acquired Mackeeper from ZeoBit in April 2013.[2] MacKeeper 3.0 was released in June 2014 with a new "human expert" feature and optimization with OS X Yosemite.[11]Also, Mackeeper 3.x is the first release in the software-as-a-service lineup.[12]

Features

MacKeeper 3.x, the latest version of the product, consists of 16 components, including Anti-theft and features a "human expert" support service integrated into the software.

Security

MacKeeper 3.x integrates Avira’s Secure Anti-Virus API (SAVAPI), the official interface for Avira’s anti-malware scanning engine.[13] It blocks malicious websites automatically while surfing the Internet by using several databases of known URLs. Internet Security tool allows users to manually create lists of potentially dangerous websites to be blocked. An anti-theft feature is included which can help find a lost or stolen computer by taking an iSight photo of the user, generating a report of the device's location, and contacting the owner when the device is detected.[14]

Data control

"Data Encryptor" is a filesystem-level encryption tool that can encrypt files or folders with a password. The "Files Recovery" is a data recovery utility that can help the user recover unintentionally deleted files.[15] Backup software is also included, which can copy files to a USB flash drive, External HDD or FTP server. The "Shredder" feature is a data erasure tool that can help permanently delete files.

Cleaning

The "Fast Cleanup" feature is a disk cleaner that finds and removes junk files on the hard drive in order to free up space.[16] The "Duplicates Finder" will search the computer and allow the user to remove duplicate files. "Files Finder" is an included tool to help the user search for a particular type of file. The "Disk Usage" feature helps to identify large files and folders. "Smart Uninstaller" removes widgets, applications, preference panes and plugins and their associated preferences, web caches and log files which still remain on the Mac's hard drive even after the item has been moved to the trash.

System optimization

"Update Tracker" checks each application installed on the Mac user's machine for the newest versions. All apps are marked by color as up-to-date or out-of-date. "Login Items" allows the user to manage start-up applications that launch automatically. "Default Apps" shows the file type associations between all file extensions and applications that open them and allows the user to modify these settings.

Reception

Reviews

MacKeeper has received mixed reviews with reviewers being very divided as to the effectiveness of the software. Macworld gave MacKeeper 3.5 out of 5 stars in August 2010, based on the 0.9.6 build of the program, and found it a reasonably priced set of tools but experienced lagging while switching between tools.[17] MacLife rated it at 2.5 out of 5 and said it to be useful mainly for freeing up drive space, but found other features offered inconsistent results and believed most users won’t need its antivirus feature.[18] AV-Comparatives found that MacKeeper had an excellent ability to detect Mac-based malware.[19] They noted that it was "very well suited to enthusiasts who have a good understanding of security issues, but not ideal for non-expert users who need pre-configured optimal security for their Macs."[19] OPSWAT awarded the program a Gold Certification for protecting users against antiphishing attempts as well as spyware and malware.[20][21]

Criticism of marketing techniques

Zeobit has been accused of employing misleading advertising with regard to its promotion of MacKeeper, including aggressive affiliate marketing, pop-under ads and planting sockpuppet reviews as well as websites set up to discredit their competitors.[5][22] ZeoBit claims that negative attacks were also launched against MacKeeper by an unnamed competitor, and that many users and press are confusing MacKeeper with another application.[23]

Lawsuits

In January 2014 a class action lawsuit was filed against Zeobit in Illinois. 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.[24] In May 2014 a lawsuit was filed against Kromtech in Pennsylvania, alleging that MacKeeper fakes security problems to deceive victims into paying for unneeded fixes.[25]

Kromtech has also filed lawsuits against those it perceives are defaming them. In July 2013 Kromtech filed a lawsuit against Macpaw, the developers of CleanMyMac. Kromtech alleged that Macpaw employees created several usernames and posts on several websites defaming the Mackeeper software.[26] In July 2014, MacKeeeper filed a lawsuit against David A. Cox alleging that he slandered MacKeeper by calling it a fraudulent application in a YouTube video.[27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mac OS X Tips, Tricks, Apps & Fixes. Imagine Publishing. ISBN 9781908955784. Retrieved 2014-07-14.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Kromtech Alliance Corp Acquires MacKeeper". PRWeb. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "MacKeeper at a glance". MacWorld. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Dave Hamilton speaks about MacKeeper at MacWorld conference". YouTube. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Is MacKeeper Really A Scam?".
  6. ↑ Arnolds, Scott. "MacKeeper: Deceptive Malware". University of Massachusetts. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "MacKeeper Review – Should You Install This Mac Utility Software?". Lure of Mac. Lure of Mac. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "ZeoBIT LLC Releases MacKeeper 1.0 - 911 for Mac OS - Now With Antivirus". Zeobit. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Version 1.0". Kromtech Alliance. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "New Version of MacKeeper released at the MacWorld". iWorld 2012 Expo. Retrieved 2014-07-14.
  11. ↑ "Version 3.0.3". 16 June 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "MacKeeper moving towards the Software-As-A-Service model". 21 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "MacKeeper". Avira.com. n.d. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Computer Thief Caught on Webcam With Anti-Theft Software" (PRESS RELEASE). PRWeb. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Vacca, John; Rudolph, K (2013). Easttom, Chuck, ed. System Forensics, Investigation and Response (1 ed.). Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 219. ISBN 978-0763791346.
  16. ↑ Parrish, Robin (4 November 2011). "Review: MacKeeper". Apple Gazette.
  17. ↑ Battersby, Jeffery (24 Aug 2010). "MacKeeper 0.9.6". Macworld.
  18. ↑ Berenstain, Adam (23 September 2011). "MacKeeper System Maintenance Suite Review". MacLife.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Product Review: Mac Security - July 2013" (PDF). AV-Comparatives. 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  20. ↑ "MacKeeper is Awarded with a Gold Certification as a Security Software". PRWeb. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "February Certifications". OPSWAT. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  22. ↑ "MacKeeper, a rather slimy tale".
  23. ↑ Parrish, Robin (14 November 2011). "EXCLUSIVE: MacKeeper Says "Unethical Competitor Trying to Tarnish Our Reputation"". Apple Gazette. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  24. ↑ "Class Says 'MacKeeper; Software is Junkware.". Courthouse News Service. January 21, 2014.
  25. ↑ Lord, Rich. "Pennsylvania woman sues company that promises computer security". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  26. ↑ http://louisianarecord.com/news/254591-apple-anti-virus-software-creators-face-off-in-defamation-lawsuit
  27. ↑ http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/08/prweb12100581.htm

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