YoutubeAdBlock (Improved Instructions) - Oct 2016 update
YoutubeAdBlock Removal Guide
What is YoutubeAdBlock?
Fact: YoutubeAdBlock does not function as promised
If you ever came across a site suggesting help for users who wish to “forget ads on Youtube,” be careful. Chances are, this site recommends installing YoutubeAdBlock virus, which is actually a complete ad machine rather than a blocker. After installing it, you will soon want to block Youtube AdBlock itself. This infamous piece of software has been developed by SISTEMA LTD. When it gets into the system, it adds Video Ads Blocker extension, which can completely mess up your Google Chrome browser. At the moment, this extension is compatible with this particular Internet browser only. We have investigated this program’s Licence agreement, and we have found some shocking statements. Take a look at these lines:
THE EXTENSION MAY COLLECT OR STORE INFORMATION FOR SISTEMA LTD (“LICENSOR”, “WE” OR “US”) ABOUT THE WEB PAGES YOU VISIT AND YOUR ACTIVITY ON THOSE PAGES, SUCH AS IMPRESSIONS AND CLICKS. IN SOME CASES, INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE EXTENSION MAY BE PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE, AND INFORMATION (INCLUDING INFORMATION FROM OR ABOUT PAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES YOU VISIT) MAY BE USED OR SHARED WITH THIRD PARTIES FOR PURPOSES OF DISPLAYING TARGETED ADVERTISEMENTS TO YOU.
As you can see, this questionable browser add-on can collect information about you. As we have already mentioned, YoutubeAdBlock is an adware program, and it displays advertisements. However, that does not mean that YoutubeAdBlock seeks to show useful ads for you. It might show catchy-looking ads, labeled as “YoutubeAdBlock ads,” “Youtube AdBlock deals,” or “Ads by Youtube AdBlock.” These statements in the software’s Privacy Policy document proves that:
From time to time, we may use an outside advertising provider to display ads on our Site. […] By its very nature, our Site contains links to third-party Web sites. Please be aware that we cannot control and are not responsible for the information collection practices of third-party Web sites.
Shortly said, this program might block some ads for you, but it displays its own ads for you. Keep in mind that some of Youtube AdBlock’s affiliate websites might be insecure, and that is why we do not recommend to click on these ads. Besides, these ads can show up not only as banners or in-text links on the websites that you visit, but they might also randomly pop-up on your screen, so be careful not to click on them accidentally. Despite these interruptions, Youtube AdBlock adware also slows down your computer speed. In conclusion, there are no negotiable advantages of this program, and that is why we suggest removing it. You can do that with an anti-spyware program like FortectIntego or any other reliable one.
Distribution methods
You can download this extension from its official page, which might be sent to you by another adware program, but if you are sure that it’s not how it slithered in your computer system, then most likely it has been added to another software that you have recently installed. The majority of PUPs can be attached to other free programs and distributed as an ‘optional downloads’ with them. Most PC users install such additions without realizing that because they tend to install software carelessly. To avoid installing programs that you were not willing to install, you need to use either Advanced or Custom installation settings. The setup then should expand the settings window and show a list of ‘recommended programs.’ All you need to do is to opt-out suggestions to install unknown software. Then you can finish the installation process. This is the easiest way to avoid YoutubeAdBlock hijack and also prevent other potentially unwanted programs from hijacking your machine.
To learn how to remove this application manually, please continue reading below.
How to uninstall Youtube AdBlock adware?
YoutubeAdBlock virus can be extremely annoying as it works in an unfair way. Although it claims to remove advertisements, it actually shows them. We believe that ad-blocking program should not function this way. That is why we recommend removing it. You can use one of our recommended anti-spyware programs and delete this PC intruder automatically; alternatively, you can follow the removal guidances that we have provided below the article and remove this adware program manually.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of YoutubeAdBlock. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall all suspicious programs from the computer, especially programs related to Video Ads Blocker or SISTEMA LTD.
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Your task is to clean up your Mac from applications published by SISTEMA LTD, in this case, Video Ads Blocker.
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove from Google Chrome
Open Google Chrome, and, using instructions provided below, find and delete Video Ads Blocker browser extension and revert all settings changed by it. You should also find and remove all components published by SISTEMA LTD.
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- 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:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of YoutubeAdBlock registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
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