PUP.Optional.OOSafeErase

PUP.Optional.OOSafeErase is Malwarebytes’ detection name for a potentially unwanted program (PUP) called O&O SafeErase Professional which is published by O&O Software GmbH and intended for use on Windows systems.

PUP.Optional.OOSafeErase is a system optimizer of the type privacy optimizer. These so-called “system optimizers” use exaggerated results or even intentional false positives to convince users that their systems have problems. Then they try to sell you their software, claiming it will remove these problems. PUP.Optional.OOSafeErase is usually installed by users themselves and can be downloaded from their website.

Users of affected systems may have seen these warnings during install:

these icons on their desktop and in their taskbar and startmenu:

this entry in their list of installed Programs and Features:

and these warnings during operations:

Malwarebytes blocks PUP.Optional.OOSafeErase

Malwarebytes can detect and remove PUP.Optional.OOSafeErase without further user interaction.

• Please download Malwarebytes to your desktop.
• Double-click MBSetup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
• When your Malwarebytes for Windows installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen.
• Click on the Get started button.
• Click Scan to start a Threat Scan.
• Click Quarantine to remove the found threats.
• Reboot the system if prompted to complete the removal process.

Should users wish to keep this program and exclude it from being detected in future scans, they can add the program to the exclusions list. Here’s how to do it.

• Open Malwarebytes for Windows.
• Click the Detection History
• Click the Allow List
• To add an item to the Allow List, click Add.
• Select the exclusion type Allow a file or folder and use the Select a folder button to select the main folder for the software that you wish to keep.
• Repeat this for any secondary files or folder(s) that belong to the software.

If you want to allow the program to connect to the Internet, for example to fetch updates, also add an exclusion of the type Allow an application to connect to the internet and use the Browse button to select the file you wish to grant access.