Mackeeper key Archives

I never thought that I’d read the words MacKeeper and notarized in the same sentence, let alone in the title of an article here.

If you’ve only recently come to Macs, then the name may mean little or nothing. A glance at its page in Wikipedia might be illuminating for its damning opinions. The product goes back almost exactly ten years, to its first beta release on 13 May 2010. It had originally been developed by Zeobit, which had been formed only the previous year.

By the release of version 3.0 in 2015, MacKeeper was starting to become notorious. Reviewers and users reported many problems with it, and those who wrote the Q&A sections for major Mac magazines (including me) were bombarded by messages from users wanting to remove it. It had become recognised as belonging to that shadowy category of Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs), a euphemism for software to avoid at all costs.

I wrote about it in MacUser volume 30 issue 5 and issue 7, in 2014. Then again when a phishing attack was launched against it in June 2015, and following a major security breach in December of the same year.

In 2016, the Mac security expert Thomas Reed detailed a fake virus scam which had been deployed to trick users into downloading MacKeeper. The app’s developers, by then Kromtech, blamed a “rogue affiliate” which Reed demonstrated was also misleading. He concluded by writing “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac will detect MacKeeper as PUP.MacKeeper, and will remove the app and all other components.”

Wikipedia’s page on MacKeeper’s developer Kromtech Alliance Corp. is also worth reading, and even more damning than its entry on MacKeeper.

Then late last year, everything seems to have changed at Kromtech. Its blog announced that “Clario, an innovative customer-focused cybersecurity company, has recently acquired the IP and assets of Kromtech, which includes our MacKeeper product”. Recognising its previous bad name, Clario/Kromtech claimed that it had “canceled the marketing partnerships that resulted in aggressive and annoying promotions” and had transformed MacKeeper.

Then just after Easter this year, Clario/Kromtech announced that version 4.3 of MacKeeper had been “officially notarized” by Apple. That article is well worth reading for what else it claims about notarization. According to its CEO “this process doesn’t just consider our technical credentials, but also our wider business practice, marketing methods, partners and agencies. It’s an end to end verification”.

I have a little experience of this notarization process, and can vouch that in the more than 200 notarizations Apple has performed for me over nearly two years, never once has Apple considered any of those issues on any of those more than forty different products. Notarization is explained in detail here by the horse’s mouth: it’s about meeting certain technical requirements, and the finished product passing Apple’s automated tests for malware. Apple doesn’t see any source code, nor does it check that the software isn’t thoroughly pushy and annoying, or totally dysfunctional. I’m a great fan of notarization, but you must appreciate its limitations: it isn’t intended to assure that a product can’t be a PUP. Notarization isn’t even like the product review for the App Store, and heaven knows how many flawed products have passed that review process.

I would have liked to verify Clario/Kromtech’s claims that MacKeeper is indeed now notarized. However, they provide a two-step installer: what you initially download is a package of scripts lacking any software content. Those installer scripts then download and install MacKeeper direct from Clario/Kromtech’s servers. I’m afraid that, after ten years of dealing with MacKeeper’s unpleasant habits, I’m not prepared to let its installer scripts loose on my Mac.

What I can report is that the Installer package is notarized by Apple. It was signed on 31 March 2020, using the developer certificate not of the new Clario, but of “KROMTECH ALLIANCE CORP.” Now there’s a chilling reminder of the past.

Thanks to @tperfitt for drawing my attention to this surprising news.

Postscript

I am grateful to Alice Lamb of Clario who has asked me to clarify the following:

• The first version Clario notarized is 4.7.21.

• Apple Notarization is an automated process, but not for MacKeeper. Clario engaged in extensive ongoing correspondence with Apple, providing proof of both its product and company transformation.

• Clario is in the process of updating old and now incorrect references to Kromtech and are on track to complete this in the next few weeks.

Alun Baker, CEO of Clario said: “I readily admit that MacKeeper’s history has left its brand reputation severely tarnished but since July 2018 the brand has owned up to its past mistakes and undergone a significant transformation. We have invested considerable resources to regain the trust of Mac users worldwide, this included a thorough investigation into all of our third-party affiliates, resulting in the elimination of any that failed to meet our exacting standards. We have also completely reworked the product to include numerous value-adding features, like data breach notifications and the ability to browse, search, and shop ad-free. In addition to being Apple Notarized we have a TrustPilot score of 4.8 and are approved by AppEsteem the only B2C regulator, who, like us, is taking the side of the Consumer.”

I hope to be following this story up next week.

How to get a MacKeeper activation code

Where to find your activation code

How to activate your MacKeeper license

How to check if your MacKeeper is already activated 

How do I log in with my MacKeeper license?

How to activate MacKeeper without installing the app

Why MacKeeper doesn't accept your activation code

Activation code already used: “Activation code has already been applied to your MacKeeper account. Please log in.”

Invalid activation code: “Your activation code is not valid.”
 

To activate MacKeeper, you’ll need two things ready—your MacKeeper activation code and your MacKeeper account.

How to get a MacKeeper activation code

You’ll receive your activation code right after purchasing the full MacKeeper license. Here are two ways to get yours:

• Step 1. Open MacKeeper, and click the green Unlock Full Version button in the bottom-left corner
• Step 2. Choose your MacKeeper plan here

Once your purchase is processed, you’ll see your MacKeeper activation code on the screen. We’ll email it to you as well. 

Activating the full MacKeeper license gives you unlimited access to all its features throughout your subscription. Remember, we never provide free MacKeeper activation codes unless it’s a very special promotion run through our official website, not through third parties.

Where to find your activation code 

Immediately following purchase, you’ll see your activation code along with other order details on your screen.

Another way to find your MacKeeper activation key is to check your mailbox for the order confirmation email. Remember to check the spam or junk folders as well. Find the email with the subject: “Your MacKeeper order” and copy the 16-digit activation code from there.

Still can’t find your MacKeeper activation key? Click here to contact our support team. 

How to activate your MacKeeper license

Now that your activation code is ready, here’s how to use it for your MacKeeper license activation.

Note: usually, MacKeeper is automatically activated in 5 minutes if you purchase MacKeeper from the app. If it’s not activated, use the following instructions.

Before you start, make sure you have MacKeeper installed on your Mac.

• Step 1. Open MacKeeper, and go to the top-left corner of your screen
• Step 2. Click MacKeeper next to the Apple logo, and choose Enter Activation Code

• Step 3. Copy your 16-digit activation code from your confirmation email, paste it in the MacKeeper window, then click Apply Code
• Step 4. Create your MacKeeper account to proceed. Use your email address or click Connect with Facebook to sign up with an existing Facebook account.

Already have an account? Select Log In in the top-right corner, and enter your email address and password. 

Forgot your account password? Reset it by clicking the Forgot Password button, or get help from our support team.  
That’s it. Your MacKeeper is activated. 

How to check if your MacKeeper is already activated

First, make sure you are logged in to MacKeeper with a valid subscription, then click MacKeeper next to the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your desktop.

Choose Preferences from the drop-down MacKeeper menu, and click the Account tab. If you see the Sign Out button, you are already logged in to your MacKeeper account.

Now go back to MacKeeper, open Find & Fix, and start a scan. If you see the Fix Items Safely button—the MacKeeper license you’re using is already activated.  If it’s called Activate and Fix—you’ll need to activate the license you purchased.

How do I log in with my MacKeeper license?

To use your activated MacKeeper license, you’ll need to log in to your account. Here’s how to do that.

• Step 1. Open MacKeeper, and go to the top-left corner of your screen

• Step 2. Click MacKeeper next to the Apple logo, choose Preferences, and open the Account tab 

• Step 3. Enter your email address and password to log in to your MacKeeper account 

• Step 4. Your valid MacKeeper license will be automatically activated!

Now you can go to MacKeeper and start a scan—you’re all set!

How to activate MacKeeper without installing the app

You can purchase the MacKeeper license but not have the app on your Mac. If this is your case, you can activate your license online and log in to the MacKeeper app later with your already activated license. Just open your MacKeeper account online and do the following.

• Step 1. Open your inbox
• Step 2. Copy your 16-digit MacKeeper activation key from the order confirmation email
• Step 3. Go to account.mackeeper.com, log in or create an account, and click Enter Activation Code

• Step 4. Next, paste your code and hit Activate

Once MacKeeper is activated, you’ll see the confirmation on your screen.

Why MacKeeper doesn't accept your activation code

Sometimes you might be entering your MacKeeper activation code but getting an error instead. Don’t worry, we know how to fix this. It all depends on the error you see.

1. Activation code already used: “Activation code has already been applied to your MacKeeper account. Please log in.”

This error appears when you’ve already activated your MacKeeper serial code. All you need to do is simply log in to your account.

• Open MacKeeper, and go to the top-left corner of your screen
• Click MacKeeper next to the Apple logo, choose Preferences, and open the Account tab 
• Log in to your MacKeeper account
• Your valid MacKeeper license will be automatically activated

2. Invalid activation code: “Your activation code is not valid.”

This error occurs if you either entered the activation code incorrectly, or you entered a nonexistent activation code. 

Remember: A valid activation code must be 16 characters long and include both letters and numbers.

If you’ve already purchased MacKeeper, look for the MacKeeper order confirmation email in your inbox, and copy your activation code. If you still see this error, please contact our support team.