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  • Severity: High
  • Malware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Mar 2019

How to remove Youtube virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Lucia Danes · Virus researcher

YouTube virus is the term used to describe different malware that has been targeting users by misusing company's name

Youtube virus YouTube virus is the type of malware that includes various versions of cyber infections that can be associated with this social media and video-creating website. A platform is a popular network that most of the PC users have already heard of and are actively using on the daily basis.[1] However, because of this popularity, YouTube is constantly fighting against malicious actors who have been actively misusing well-known names like Pinterest or Facebook to create malicious campaigns used to infect unaware users with malware. Beware that, because of virus on YouTube, you can get infected with an adware, browser hijacker or even ransomware. You should be aware that there are too many imposters online to believe every YouTube advertisement or pop-up. If you happen to notice that such ads keep appearing, check the system for Youtube virus immediately.

Name YouTube virus
Category Malware
Possible types Scams, adware, PUPs, fake tools
Known since 2015
similar viruses
Distribution Software bundles, deceptive websites, spam email
Elimination Use a trustworthy anti-malware program and clear the system fully to remove YouTube virus 

YouTube virus is the definition of various malware forms misusing the name of the video broadcasting service in one or another way. There are numerous cyber threats that you can get infected after clicking on a malicious link presented in the ad, fake email message, etc. However, the main thing here is to note that the official YouTube site is NOT related to these viruses in any way.

Usually, users are attacked via identical to the original but fraudulent YouTube site.[2] However, besides this way of attack, there are other ways to get infected, including fake email messages, fake links, and other means of distribution that can end up with such malware:

  • Adware
  • Screen lockers (fake ransomware)
  • Fake Flash Player updates (disguising in fake YouTube domains)
  • Browser redirect viruses

Note that the official website contains HTTPS indicator and it does not ask you to update Flash Player or install any additional codecs. If you are convinced that you are in a wrong version of the official domain, remove YouTube virus. FortectIntego or SpyHunterCombo Cleaner might be helpful in this situation. Before we discuss elimination methods, let us review dominant YouTube malware cases.

YouTube virus – related campaigns that use YouTube as bait for victims

Adware spreading via fake YouTube sites

Perhaps the most efficient samples illustrating this virus type are all those pop-up and redirect viruses that cause commercial content continuously delivered to your screen. With the popularity of social media, these fake YouTube site messages occur on Facebook or Messenger.

In either case, a fraudulent video link is distributed among the Facebook community. In order to persuade gullible users to open the link, the message contains “[receiver’s name] video” comment. Recent cases of the scam include the profile picture of a receiver.

Furthermore, after clicking on the link which indicates a random site or even supposedly YouTube URL, users are directed to a fake YouTube site. In order to play the video, users are expected to enable a specific extension or download a codec[3]. Some malware cases ask victims to install dubious applications. Such action would further download adware into the operating system.

There are tons of different adware infections misusing the name of YouTube to trick users into infecting their machines with such viruses as these examples:

Youtube ransomware

As ridiculous it may sound, in fact, there were cases of the so-called YouTube ransomware. For instance, in June 2017, a screen locker pretending to be YouTube crypto-malware was spotted. It alarmed users that they have violated the YouTube law.

In order to regain access to the website and the device as well, they were supposed to enter the code. Fortunately, experts have found the passcode – law725. Fortunately, the threat turned out to be a mere prank rather than a menacing virus. Due to the popularity of the official domain, the probability of real ransomware should not be excluded. 

The samples of Youtube virus

Fake Flash Player pop-ups

This is by far the most common form of YouTube virus. There have been multiple instances when users encounter a pop-up message urging to update Flash Player in order to play a video on the site.

Unfortunately, due to a persuasive appearance of such alert, credulous users install the fake alert only to discover the presence of frustrating adware, data-stealing trojan or even real crypto-malware. Bear in mind that your operating system notifies you about the outdated Flash Player once you log in to the computer.

YouTube impostors and scams

As every popular website has its evil twin so does YouTube. Malware developers have created dozens of fake websites which are based on a single trick – mistyping of the word “youtube.” Since it is common among users to misspell the name of a domain, they often accidentally get redirected to a phishing site. Various scams use the name of YouTube to get more views and victims, for example, YouTube Reward Center.

It may also offer to install a dubious extension like Youtube Download Manager. Otherwise, such domains may be a perfect haven for hidden crypto-coin miners[4]. They are not visible to ordinary users. While they watch videos on a fake website, the malware mines bitcoins or other crypto-currency. In short, due to them, you might notice that the website drains an enormous amount of CPU resources.

In that case, you will need to perform Youtube virus removal as soon as possible. In order to avoid the encounter with crypto-coin miners, install anti-miner plug-in, for instance, AdBlock or No Coin or any other, but choose wisely as there are also fraudulent imitations of such extensions as well.

The picture reflecting corrupted Youtube site

Fake Youtube ads were used to spread crypto-mining malware

In the middle of January 2018, security experts discovered a new version of YouTube virus. This time, hackers were using YouTube ads to run crypto-mining code on a victim's computer. As soon as the ad was clicked, the code was enabled and started using a computer's CPU and electricity power to mine cryptocurrency. According to the latest reports, it is a totally new form of abuse.

Ninety percent of malicious Youtube ads were using Coinhive miner that helped cybercriminals use other users’ computing power to illegally mine Monero and generate profit. Coinhive was created to let website owners operate a legal scheme to generate this currency. However, cybercriminals took only several months to learn how to abuse Google’s DoubleClick platform and Coinhive to utilize them for their personal gain.

Google – the owner of Youtube – responded to cyber attacks on their servers immediately. According to the announcement from the Internet giant, ads were blocked in less than two hours, and the malicious actors were quickly removed from its platforms.[5]

Malware distribution depends on infection type

Depending on what type of virus you encounter, malware elimination, and prevention measures differ. In order to avoid adware or malicious redirects, make sure not to install any software updates from random pages. Also, choosing Advanced or Custom options during the installation can give you the opportunity to remove unwanted applications from the download list.

Regarding social media message virus, do not click on video links or download an image file which is supposedly sent by your friend. Inquire the sender again to verify the content of such message. Note that a genuine video link often generates a video image with the screenshot of the video content.

If you mistyped URL name and found yourself in an odd website, exit it right away and scan the browse. You should also update your browser as exploit kits, which target certain browser vulnerabilities, may also cram you with fake software-promoting pop-ups or even lead to more severe malware attacks. 

Youtube virus elimination methods include automatic system clean

Whether you are dealing with YouTube redirect virus or got to a counterfeited web page, scan the browser and the PC with an anti-malware utility. Update it before scanning so all new threats can be indicated.

Automatic YouTube virus removal is also recommended when you are dealing with a screen locker or any other more severe cyber threat that is not only affecting your browser with pop-ups. This solution also improves the performance of your device since it helps to clean the computer fully.

Later on, reboot the system into Safe Mode, if necessary and repeat the scan procedure. Lastly, it is recommended to reset browser settings. Such action will remove YouTube virus scripts, cookies, and other web components. Note that Youtube malware targets every computer user, regardless whether you are a British, Portuguese or Chinese.[6]

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.

Reset Google Chrome:

If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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