Sam Boyd
Updated on: January 3, 2024
Short on time? Here’s how to remove the Ytmp3.cc virus:
- 1. Scan Your Device. Use a high-quality antivirus to run a scan of your full system. (I recommend Norton).
- 2. Remove Any Malware. Once the full scan is done, let your antivirus remove any viruses, malware, or adware you might have inadvertently downloaded from Ytmp3.cc.
- 3. Stay Protected. To ensure you stay safe from viruses and other malware in the future, you should invest in a high-quality internet security suite. Norton is the best — it has an advanced malware scanner and flawless detection rates, plus it offers heaps of extra features to keep you safe online, including anti-phishing protection, an unlimited VPN, and a password manager.
Ytmp3.cc is a website that allows users to download video and audio from YouTube, but it’s filled with annoying pop-ups, malware downloads, and exploit attacks. It lets you convert YouTube videos to MP3 audio files or MP4 videos for free. However, if you’re not really careful (and sometimes even if you are), Ytmp3.cc can very easily infect your computer with malware and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs).
It will also try to trick you into allowing notifications so that it can show you advertisements and pop-ups even when you’re not using their service. Many users accidentally allow these pop-ups and end up with a malware infection.
As a test, I tried downloading a video from Ytmp3.cc, and Norton immediately blocked a drive-by download (automatic file download) of a PUP that appeared in a pop-up. This drive-by-download attempted to redownload every time I hit the download button on my converted video.
For this reason, I recommend staying away from Ytmp3.cc. However, if you must use Ytmp3.cc and can’t find a safer alternative (most of these video converter/download sites are just as bad), there are some precautions you should take:
- Use an ad-blocker (Avira’s browser extension includes an excellent ad-blocker).
- Don’t allow any notifications to display on Ytmp3.cc.
- Don’t click on any ads (they usually appear in pop-ups when you click the download button on your video).
- If a window opens in a new tab, check the URL (if it’s not Ytmp3.cc, close it).
- Have a secure antivirus suite with decent real-time protection running in the background (Norton is the best).
- When you are downloading a file from Ytmp3.cc, make sure that the download’s file name matches the video’s name before clicking Save.
If your device is suddenly running slowly, you have pop-ups on your desktop or new toolbars in your browser, or you downloaded anything from Ytmp3.cc that isn’t a media file, you probably have a malware infection on your system.
Luckily, removing malware and protecting your system from future threats is quick and easy if you follow the right steps.
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Step 1. Run a Full System Scan With Your Antivirus
IMPORTANT: If you suspect your computer has an infection, never connect any of your other devices or external drives to it. If you do, you might spread the infection onto those devices too.
The first thing you need to do to get rid of any malware or PUPs on your device is to run a full disk scan with a secure antivirus program. The scan will find every virus (and PUP) on your computer and put them all into quarantine. This includes spyware, rootkits, and worms that can often run in the background without you knowing.
Remember: Run the full system scan until it’s finished. DO NOT cancel the scan when you see a virus appear on the infected file list. There’s no way of knowing how many other copies of it exist in your system.
The full scan can take anywhere from 1–4 hours because your antivirus needs to analyze every single file and process on your computer. Once it’s complete, your antivirus will let you know, and at this point you can be confident that any malware has been identified and quarantined.
Step 2. Delete Any Infected Files
Your antivirus will now give you the option to delete all the infected files that it has found and placed into quarantine. More technical users might want to look through the list of quarantined files to check for any false positives before deleting. But this isn’t a necessary step, and less technical users can just trust the antivirus to do its job — if a file is flagged as malware by a reliable antivirus like Norton, you probably don’t want it on your computer.
After you’ve removed any compromised files from your system, it’s a good idea to restart your computer.
After you restart your device, run a second full disk scan to ensure your antivirus has removed all traces of malware. Hopefully it should be a quicker process second time around — many antiviruses, like Norton, can remember the files they’ve scanned before so subsequent scans don’t need to start from scratch.
It’s important to let the scan complete this time too. Once the scan is finished and you’ve reviewed and deleted compromised files in your quarantine, you can be satisfied that your device is free from the virus and other malware you accidentally downloaded from Ytmp3.cc or another similar site such as Y2mate. But to keep your device safe into the future, you need to take some further measures. After all, there are new malware threats emerging every day, and you don’t want to risk getting infected again.
Step 3. Keep Your Device Protected Against Future Infections
New malware is released every day, making it easy to accidentally install infected applications. There’s also the risk of online data harvesting, identity theft, and public Wi-Fi hackers.
How can you keep your devices and data safe? There are several things you can do:
Keep Your Software, OS, and Drivers Up-To-Date
If you’re running outdated software, you’re taking a big risk with your online security. This is because the older a piece of software is, the less likely it is that developers are still patching vulnerabilities in it. It’s therefore easy for hackers to exploit these vulnerabilities and get access to your device. Most software updates include security patches to correct any weaknesses that have been detected.
Many comprehensive antivirus suites (such as Avira) will include a vulnerability scanner that checks your programs and OS to ensure they’re up to date.
You can also check whether the operating systems and programs you use have an auto-update option — they usually do. Enable this option so you can ensure you’re keeping your devices and system drivers up-to-date.
Don’t Download Suspicious Files
Never download a file if you’re not completely confident that you know what it is and where it’s from. Seemingly legitimate emails and free software can often trick you into downloading something malicious — in fact that’s how most malware is delivered.
While it’s important to use your common sense about what to download (and what not to), a good antivirus like Norton offers an extra layer of protection by scanning your emails, alerting you to suspicious files, and scanning anything you download before it can cause harm to your device.
Secure Your Wireless Network and IoT Devices
Before you go online, ensure your Wi-Fi connection is secure. You can do this by using a firewall, but you should also ensure your home Wi-Fi connection and internet of things (IoT) devices are password-protected, too.
To see if a Wi-Fi network is password-protected, check the network list — you’ll see warning signs next to any networks that don’t have password protection.
Unsecured networks and devices are far more vulnerable since anyone can connect to them, but hackers can even infiltrate a secured device that is password-protected.
Most users don’t think to change the default passwords for networked devices like routers, thermostats, and lighting systems. Hackers break into “password-protected” networks all the time using tools like Shodan and Mirai to enter default passwords into millions of devices a day.
Any networked device should come with instructions for how to change its password. If not, try typing the device’s model number into Google.
To create a really safe password, use a random mix of letters, numbers, and symbols, and make it at least 15 characters long. Password managers such as 1Password offer useful password generators which can help create strong passwords, and store all of your passwords in a secure vault so you won’t have to worry about remembering them.
Download a Secure Antivirus Program
There are many antivirus packages out there, but only a select few offer comprehensive online protection. Check out some of the top antivirus packages options for 2024 here.
I genuinely appreciate Norton 360 — it’s a high-end antivirus package featuring one of the top anti-malware systems globally, accompanied by a multitude of beneficial security features. Norton’s antivirus checker employs artificial intelligence, sophisticated heuristics, and a vast malware database to prevent malware from infiltrating your device.
Norton also includes:
- Anti-phishing protection — Flags suspicious websites and protects you from online scammers.
- Firewall — Blocks hackers from entering your network.
- Virtual private network (VPN) — Keeps your internet usage anonymous, preventing network attacks, web surveillance, and man-in-the-middle attacks.
- Parental controls — Protects children by using content filters, app and screen time schedules, YouTube monitoring, and even location tracking.
- System cleanup — Gets rid of junk files and increases system performance.
- Password manager — Stores, generates, and auto-fills passwords, so hackers can’t steal them.
- Identity theft protection (US only) — Monitors credit reports, the dark web, and breach databases for compromised accounts, and includes a $1 million insurance policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ytmp3.cc safe?
Ytmp3.cc isn’t safe. The website contains many pop-ups that lead to sites containing trojans, computer worms, rootkits, and more. In fact, Ytmp3.cc states in its terms of use that it isn’t responsible if users download malicious files from Ytmp3.cc.
Honestly, this is the case with most YouTube-to-mp3 converter websites. Like any pirate site that offers downloads of restricted media and software, Ytmp3.cc is a front for shady adware vendors, hackers, and data thieves to gain access to user devices by providing them a desirable product.
If possible, you should avoid Ytmp3.cc. However, if you must convert videos through their services, it’s recommended you have a comprehensive antivirus suite with real-time protection (like Norton) running while doing so.
Is Ytmp3.cc illegal?
Ytmp3.cc isn’t illegal, but downloading copyrighted videos through Ytmp3.cc is a breach of copyright law. The only videos and audio you can legally download from the internet are those in the public domain or under creative commons licensing.
However, most music and videos on video-streaming platforms such as YouTube are licensed to their owners (the original creators of the video, not the uploader). Therefore, downloading any of these copyrighted videos is a breach of YouTube’s Terms of Service.
If you want to download videos and music, it’s better to use a legal and trusted website, such as iTunes and Spotify.
Is Ytmp3.cc the best YouTube-to-MP3 converter?
No, Ytmp3.cc isn’t the best YouTube-to-MP3 converter. In truth, there isn’t a YouTube-to-MP3 converter that I consider to be safe — however, Ytmp3.cc is a particularly sketchy website. When I tried to download a video from Ytmp3.cc, Norton’s real-time protection engine blocked 5 drive-by downloads!
Also, not only are these Youtube converters dangerous and putting you at risk of getting a virus infection, but the converted MP3 won’t be as high-quality as a legit download through a service like iTunes. Audio on YouTube is compressed to 126 Kilobits Per Second (kbps) AAC after being uploaded — meaning that 128 kbps will be the highest quality your music download can go with Ytmp3.cc. iTunes sells its music at 256 kbps.
