Do not use the untrustworthy x2convert.com YouTube converter website

What is x2convert[.]com?

X2convert[.]com is an untrustworthy website, offering YouTube video and audio download services. This page allows users to convert YouTube URLs (links) into downloadable MP3/MP4 files. X2convert[.]com not only infringes copyright laws, but it also uses rogue advertising networks.

Sites that use these networks - promote various untrustworthy and malicious websites, which pose a threat to device and user safety. Therefore, it is strongly advised against visiting/using x2convert[.]com.

Webpages that use rogue advertising networks can force-open all manner of misleading and dangerous sites - the moment they are accessed. Redirects to such websites can occur when content (e.g., buttons, links, ads, etc.) present in the pages are clicked on.

Additionally, rogue sites often host intrusive ads and/or employ deceptive tactics to trick users into enabling their browser notifications, which in turn are used to advertise unreliable/malicious material and websites. Intrusive adverts are more than just an annoyance, they are also harmful.

Since upon being clicked, the advertisements redirect to similarly hazardous webpages and some can stealthily download/install PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications).

X2convert[.]com promotes software as well. The endorsed products may differ and possibly be bundled (i.e., packed together with) unwanted or malicious additions. Therefore, it is highly recommended to research software before download/installation and obtain it from official/verified sources.

PUAs are commonly proliferated via stealthy installs by intrusive adverts. These apps appear legitimate and offer various "handy" functionalities that are rarely operational. Instead, unwanted applications typically have unmentioned, heinous abilities. Some can force-open dubious/malicious pages.

Adware-types run intrusive advertisement campaigns. The delivered ads diminish the browsing experience, promote dangerous sites, and may be able to download/install software without user consent.

Browser hijackers are another type of PUAs; they operate by making alterations to browser settings and restricting/denying access to them - in order to promote fake search engines. The promoted web searchers can rarely provide search results, so they redirect to Yahoo, Bing, Google, and other legitimate search engines.

Most PUAs (regardless of type) can track data. Information of interest includes: browsing and search engine histories, IP addresses, geolocations, and other sensitive (potentially, personally identifiable) details. The collected data is then monetized by being shared with and/or sold to third parties.

In summary, unwanted software can cause system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and lead to result in identity theft. To ensure device integrity and user privacy, it is crucial to remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by x2convert.com
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Serving IP Address	95.217.200.249
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.

Keepv.id, anitube.site, o2tvseries.com, and torrentgalaxy.to are some examples of other websites that use rogue advertising networks. This is a particularly widespread monetization technique; hence, thousands of webpages are using it on the Web. Visiting these sites can result in a wide variety of issues.

Due to the relative prevalence of such rogue websites, it is advised to exercise caution when browsing.

How did adware install on my computer?

Select PUAs have "official" promotional/download pages. These applications can also be downloaded/installed alongside other programs. This false marketing method of packing ordinary software with unwanted or malicious additions - is called "bundling".

Rushed download/installation processes (e.g., ignored terms, skipped steps and sections, used pre-set options, etc.) increase the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content into the system. Intrusive advertisements proliferate PUAs as well. When clicked on, the ads can execute scripts to download/install this software without user permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is recommended to research software prior to download/installation and/or purchase. Additionally, only official and verified download channels must be used. Untrustworthy sources (e.g., unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, and other third party downloaders) often offer deceptive and/or bundled content.

Download and installation processes must be treated with care; that entails - reading terms, studying all available options, using the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opting-out from additional apps, tools, features, etc. Intrusive adverts appear legitimate and harmless; however, they redirect to various questionable webpages (e.g., adult-dating, pornography, gambling, and many others).

In case of encounters with ads and/or redirects of this type, the system must be inspected and all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins detected - immediately removed from it. If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Screenshot of the x2convert[.]com website promoting questionable browser extensions:

Appearance of the x2convert[.]com website (GIF):

IMPORTANT NOTE! This deceptive site asks to enable web browser notifications.

Therefore, before commencing, perform these steps:

Google Chrome (PC):

• Click the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen
• Select "Settings", scroll down to the bottom and click "Advanced"
• Scroll down to the "Privacy and security" section, select "Content settings" and then "Notifications"
• Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

Google Chrome (Android):

• Click on the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and click "Settings"
• Scroll down, click on "Site settings" and then "Notifications"
• In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and click on them one-by-one
• Select "Notifications" in the "Permissions" section and set the toggle button to "OFF"

Mozilla Firefox:

• Click the Menu button (three bars) on the right upper corner of the screen
• Select "Options" and click on "Privacy & Security" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen
• Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and click the "Settings" button next to "Notifications"
• In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs, click the drop-down menu and select "Block"

Internet Explorer:

• Click the Gear button on the right upper corner of the IE window
• Select "Internet options"
• Select the "Privacy" tab and click "Settings" under "Pop-up Blocker" section
• Select suspicious URLs under and remove them one by one by clicking the "Remove" button

Microsoft Edge:

• Click the menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the Edge window and select "Settings"
• Click on "Site permissions" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen and select "Notifications"
• Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL under "Allow" section and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

Safari (Mac):

• Click "Safari" button on the left upper corner of the screen and select "Preferences..."
• Select the "Websites" tab and then select "Notifications" section on the left pane
• Check for suspicious URLs and apply the "Deny" option for each

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ 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 x2convert[.]com?
• STEP 1. Uninstall adware applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue plug-ins from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove adware-type extensions from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove malicious extensions from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
• STEP 6. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.

Adware removal:

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 x2convert[.]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 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 x2convert.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 x2convert.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 x2convert.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.

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 x2convert.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.

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.

Removal assistance:
If you are experiencing problems while trying to remove ads by x2convert.com from your computer, please ask for assistance in our malware support forum.

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