Prevent redirects to bitdownloader.com

What is bitdownloader[.]com?

bitdownloader[.]com is presented as a free online video downloader. It is promoted as a website video downloader for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other sites. As well as infringing copyright law, bitdownloader[.]com uses rogue advertising networks. Therefore, visitors to this site experience various unwanted redirects to untrustworthy and potentially malicious web pages.

Research shows that bitdownloader[.]com redirects to rogue and deceptive/scam web pages, which primarily advertise untrustworthy applications. Content downloaded/installed from these pages can be Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs). These apps can force-open rogue, compromised, deceptive/scam and malicious sites.

Some types run advertisement campaigns, which deliver pop-ups, banners, surveys, coupons and other intrusive ads. These diminish the browsing experience (limit browsing speed and web page visibility), generate redirects and stealthily download/install content.

Other unwanted applications make unauthorized changes to browsers and limit/deny access to their settings (i.e., they hijack browsers). Most PUAs possess data tracking abilities, with information of interest being IP addresses, geolocations, browsing and search engine histories, and users' personal details.

This private data can then be shared with third parties and end up being used for criminals purposes. Therefore, PUAs can not only cause browser/system infiltration and infections, but also lead to severe privacy issues, financial loss, and even identity theft.

The scam websites to which bitdownloader[.]com redirects use scare tactics to urge visitors into downloading/installing the products they endorse. They can show warnings/alerts that the device is allegedly infected and/or a crucial piece of software is outdated, and then offer applications/updates for fixing the 'detected' issues/threats.

Note that no site can find problems on visitors' systems, and all such issues they supposedly find are false. Deceptive web pages of this kind usually offer bogus and nonoperational PUAs (e.g. fake system cleaners, optimizers, etc.). These apps frequently require activation to become operational.

Even after purchase, however, they remain nonoperational. Additionally, fake software updaters are known to proliferate malware as well as unwanted applications.

You are expressly advised against visiting/using bitdownloader[.]com. To ensure device and user safety, avoid entering dangerous websites and never download/install and/or purchase products promoted on them. Remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by bitdownloader.com
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads.
Detection Names	Quttera (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	104.18.38.182
Symptoms	Seeing advertisements not originating from the sites you are browsing. Intrusive pop-up ads. Decreased Internet browsing speed.
Distribution Methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications (adware)
Damage	Decreased computer performance, browser tracking - privacy issues, possible additional malware infections.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

notube[.]net,  fetchtube[.]com, and mp3-youtube[.]download are some examples of other web pages similar to bitdownloader[.]com.

These sites often contain advertisements, which can redirect to untrustworthy and even malicious pages. These rogue sites might be force-opened the very moment the website is accessed. Therefore, it is unsafe to visit or use bitdownloader[.]com and other sites akin to it. If the browser automatically opens web pages of this kind, the cause is likely to be an infiltrated PUA.

How did adware install on my computer?

PUAs can be downloaded/installed with normal, even legitimate products. This deceptive marketing method of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious content is called "bundling".

By rushing through the download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.), users endanger devices with potential system infiltration and infections. Some unwanted applications have "official" promotional websites, whereby they are typically endorsed as "free" and "useful".

Intrusive advertisements are known to proliferate PUAs. When clicked, they can execute scripts designed to download/install unwanted apps without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Research all content to verify its legitimacy, before downloading/installing. Use only trustworthy and verified download channels. Avoid P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.), unofficial and free file-hosting sites, third party downloaders and similar sources, as they are untrusted.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, explore all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, functions and so on.

While usually hosted by compromised pages, intrusive ads often seem legitimate and harmless, however, when clicked, they redirect to various rogue websites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.). If you encounter advertisements/redirects of this type, inspect the system and immediately remove all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins.

If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of bitdownloader[.]com website redirecting users to untrustworthy websites;

Example 1:

Example 2:

Example 3:

Example 4:

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is bitdownloader[.]com?
• STEP 1. Uninstall adware applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue plug-ins from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove adware-type extensions from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove malicious extensions from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Adware removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for any potentially unwanted applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application that causes bitdownloader[.]com redirects, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove adware from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the ads by bitdownloader.com, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and remove them.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the ads by bitdownloader.com, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with ads by bitdownloader.com removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the ads by bitdownloader.com, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

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