The YTMP3.cc virus: How to get rid of it in 2022

Getting the audio out of a YouTube video is often helpful. For example, sometimes you are interested in listening to a lecture and not necessarily in watching it, or you want to have a song in mp3 stored in a local device that you can listen to offline, at your leisure. In addition, the manifold content you can find on YouTube means that there are lots of videos on the platform that many users can enjoy if they have the audio alone. That is why there are a lot of websites and apps on the internet that will get you a YouTube link’s audio in mp3 format. YTMP3.cc is one of those websites. If you provide YTMP3.cc with a YouTube link, you will get a downloadable mp3 file in return for free.

Having this option is genuinely helpful; there’s no question about that. However, the service is not as free as it would seem. The website includes some malicious ads and redirects that can lead to malware installation in your system. Thus, your computer can be in harm’s way and your local files compromised.

So YTMP3.cc is not only a free YouTube video conversion tool. But unfortunately, it also behaves like a virus in many ways. You should be aware of these risks and be able to manage them correctly and, if necessary, get rid of them.

YTMP3 virus removal – Quick steps

So has the YTMP3.cc already ruined web browsing for you on your computer? Here’s how you can get rid of it definitely:

So what is the YTMP3.cc virus, anyway? Why is it such a big problem?

Let’s be fair about YTMP3.cc: it’s not a virus per se. It’s a website that offers a free service, and the service it provides is both free and valuable. And there is no malicious code within this web page itself. However, the server hosting this website is known to contain malware.

So this website will serve you with pop-up ads, push notifications on you, and redirect you to other websites. And these other sites are a big problem because some of them are crowded with Potentially Unwanted Apps (PUA).

So YTMP3.cc is not harmful. But it acts as a gateway to other websites or ads that can install trackers and other malicious code on your device.

YTMP3 security risks via pop-up ads

Pop-up ads are annoying; there’s no way to deny it. But that’s not the main problem with them. Instead, the real problem comes from a minority of those ads that are delivery systems for various malware that can end up installed on (or, in some cases, even taking over) your computer.

Once that malware finds its way into your system, it can do terrible things. For example, consider ‘Adware.’ It’s perhaps the least damaging type of malware. But it’s more annoying than anything else. It will keep showing you ads all the time. Then again, through these ads, more malicious software can find a way to get to you.

And what are those worse trojans, viruses, and bad things that can reach you? Well, ransomware is one example. This malware will encrypt all your files and ask you to pay for the decryption key. Then spyware will keep an eye on everything that happens on your device, as the name suggests. Another typical development is for a piece of software to hijack your computer’s resources to turn it into a node in a botnet that performs DDoS attacks.

So, protecting your computer’s security (and even beneficial ownership) requires that you remove the YTMP3.cc from your device and that you have a way to block malicious ads. You can do that by using antivirus browsing extensions or, even better, a premium VPN like ExpressVPN or NordVPN, which have ad suppression technology as part of their services.

Why is the VPN option better? Because the adblocking is the least of it. It will give you total traffic encryption, IP spoofing, and many other features that significantly enhance your digital experience.

How do you remove YTMP3.cc from your computer?

If using YTMP3.cc led to an infection in your system, you need to deal with it as soon as possible. Here we will show you how to perform the deed in Windows and macOS systems. Removing the malware is not enough, though. The malware almost always hijacks your browsers and changes their options to facilitate its tasks. So you have to correct those issues as well, and we will also tell you how.

Windows

Removing YTMP3.cc from a Windows system needs a good antivirus suite. The best ones are Kaspersky, Norton, and McAfee, so your chances of success dramatically improve if you use one of those two. And you can also try to do it by hand, on your own. The last option is much quicker, and it needs no additional software, but the first option is the safest way to go.

1. Choose the antivirus software of your preference.
2. Install it.
3. Run a full PC scan on your computer.
4. Complete the full scan and follow all your antivirus suggestions for you.

The manual option

These are the steps you need to follow if you want to try your hand at it:

1. Click on the “Start” button in your lower-left corner and type in “Settings.”
2. In the Settings menu, select “Apps.”
3. Browse around the apps installed on your computer until you find the malicious ones. 
4. Select the malicious apps.
5. Click “Uninstall.”

macOS

As in the Windows case, you have two options: use an antivirus suite or do it by hand.

If you want to try the antivirus option, here’s what you do:

1. Choose the antivirus software of your preference.
2. Install it.
3. Run a full PC scan on your computer.
4. Complete the full scan and follow all your antivirus suggestions for you.

And for the manual option:

1. Open “Finder.”
2. Click “Applications” on the left.
3. Find the adware program. Drag it to the trash bin.
4. Enter your password to complete the uninstallation process.

Fix your browser too

A lot of malware will alter your browser settings. So you have to deal with that as well. The best way to do this is to reset your browser to the factory settings. Alternatively, you can reinstall it completely. Unfortunately, the altered settings keep some doors in your computer open to new threats, so you have not dealt with this issue until you’ve completed this step –no, the antivirus scans are not the whole story.

How to remove the YTMP3.cc adware from your web browser

Different browsers need you to deal with this problem differently –it goes without saying. So here we’ll give you the instructions you need for Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

Google Chrome

1. Find the three dots available on the top-right corner of your Chrome window and click them.
2. Click “Settings.”
3. Click on the “Advanced” option that you see in the bottom-left of the window.
4. Click “Reset & clean up.”
5. Click the “Restore settings to defaults” option.
6. Click on “Reset settings.”

Mozilla Firefox

1. Find the three lines on the top right of your Mozilla Firefox window and click on them.
2. Click on “Settings.”
3. Then, click “Home.”
4. Click on “Restore defaults.” In case the option is unavailable, it means you’re already using them.

Microsoft Edge

1. Click on the three dots sign in the top-right corner of the screen.
2. Click on “Settings.”
3. Go to “Reset settings.”
4. Choose the “Restore settings to default values.”
5. A message will pop up. Click on “Reset” there.

Apple Safari

1. Press “command together with space” to open the spotlight; then type “terminal” and then click enter.
2. In the new terminal window that opened, you need to type and execute each of the following commands:

• rm -Rf ~/Library/Caches/Metadata/Safari;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari;rm -Rf ~/Library/Caches/com.app
• le.WebKit.PluginProcess;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/Apple\ -\ Safari\ -\ Safari\ Extensions\ Gallery;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.LSSharedFileList.plist;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.RSS.plist;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.WebFoundation.plist;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.WebKit.PluginHost.plist;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.WebKit.PluginProcess.plist;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/PubSub/Database;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Safari/*;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist;
• rm -Rf ~/Library/Saved\ Application\ State/com.apple.Safari.savedState;

Don’t be scared with the command list. You can always copy and paste each one into your terminal. Also, be assured that the commands are safe as the Apple community has confirmed using them to success.

Disable YTMP3.cc browser notifications on Android

If the affected device in your case was an Android one, then a good step is to block the YTMP3’s browser notifications. It goes like this:

1. Open your Google Chrome app.
2. Tap on the three dots at the top-right corner.
3. Tap on “Settings.”
4. Scroll down and find “Notifications.”
5. Next, scroll down to the “Sites” section.
6. Find the entry for YTMP3.cc and disable the notifications for this website.

How to keep unwanted applications away from your devices –Preventive measures

So you had a YTMP3.cc infection in one or several of your devices, and now it’s gone! Great! So far, so good! Since now you know what to do when this happens, you’ll be able to repeat the procedure if the infection repeats itself. However, it would be best if no malware came into your systems ever again –YTMP3.cc or otherwise. It’s not a hard thing to do; you need to adopt some security measures regularly:

• Always use a top-quality antivirus suite on your computer. Choose Norton or Kaspersky. They are the best by far.
• Get a top-notch VPN service such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or Surfshark. These VPNs do everything an excellent VPN should, but they also offer many additional features, including some very effective adblockers.
• Ensure that every app you install is valid. Pay attention, and notice if any new app is installing unwanted software. Let it go if there is any additional fishy software required to use this app.
• Get all your apps from official sources only.
• Keep your operating systems, software, and drivers up to date. The vulnerabilities that hackers exploit against average users are almost always corrected when new drivers or operating systems versions come online. So keeping all your software updated is an excellent preventive measure.

Conclusion

Extracting the audio from a YouTube video doesn’t sound like a task that could pose a severe threat to your digital privacy, security, and anonymity. However, you’ve learned that this is the case indeed.

So yes, the YTMP3.cc is a helpful website. But it’s also flooded with push notifications and annoying pop ads that include links to nasty things. In addition, it will keep redirecting your browser to other websites that could get your device infected with malware.

But malware is not the end of the world. If you followed our suggestions, then you’re already malware-free. And you can ensure that you’ll never have to deal with this issue again if you adopt a handful of simple but powerful measures. 

The best news is that once your antivirus and your VPN are online on your favorite device, you can even keep using YTMP3.cc to extract audio from video sources without further danger.

So now you know. As a general rule, a free online service of any type that charges you nothing but keeps showing you ads must be used with care. It is especially true about free video streaming sites, but YTMP3.cc is an excellent example of another type of website that is also unsafe.

So be proactive! If you have an antivirus and a VPN, if you’re careful about the software you install, you’ll have no problem meeting the goal we’re always trying to promote on this website: staying safe!

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