What is Y2mate?
Launched in late 2016, Y2mate is an app and web app that allows users to download YouTube videos to watch offline – something YouTube doesn’t natively support. Although YouTube has videos on pretty much every topic imaginable, needing an internet connection to watch them can sometimes be annoying. This is where Y2mate comes in handy.
Is Y2mate safe?
The answer to the question “is Y2mate safe?” it’s both yes and no. Although Y2mate is a virus-free tool, there are ads and pop-ups on the platform that potentially do not have the same level of trustworthiness. Such ads and pop-ups could potentially lead users to unsafe websites.
Installation of PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) and drive-by download attacks (where malware is downloaded automatically) often occur on sites containing ads and pop-ups similar to Y2mate. This could potentially pose a significant risk to users.
How did Y2mate install on my Mac?
When you use Y2mate, you will be prompted to enable notifications, a web browser feature designed to help you stay on top of emails, news and news articles. Y2mate uses this feature to send advertisements to users. This is bad because the ads often link to potentially dangerous software like adware. As a result, clicking on ads can lead to infection of your Mac.
If you think your Mac is already infected, keep reading to find out what you can do to fix it and prevent future infections.
What measures are available to prevent the Y2mate virus?
If possible, you should avoid downloading videos with Y2mate. However, if it is necessary to use the service, you can take some precautions:
- Use a professional ad blocker. AdBlock One is the best free ad blocker for Chrome and Safari.
- Do not click on any ads when using Y2mate.
- If a new tab appears while using the Y2mate website, please check the URL and close the tab if it is not directly related to Y2mate.
- Check Y2mate file names before downloading. Numerous download links will appear trying to trick you into installing PUPs and viruses instead of downloading your video. Before saving, make sure the name of the download file matches the name of the video you want to download.
- Do not allow Y2mate to send you notifications.
How to disable Y2mate notifications?
If you regularly use multiple web browsers, you will need to disable Y2mate notifications on all of them. The steps to do so will vary slightly between browsers, but below are instructions for Safari and Chrome.
Safari
Open Safari.
- Open Safari.
- Click Safari > Preferences > Websites.
- In the sidebar, scroll down and click Notifications.
- Select Y2mate and click Remove.
Google Chrome
- Open Chrome.
- Click Chrome > Preferences > Security & Privacy > Site Settings.
- Scroll down to Notifications and click on it
- Under “Allowed to send notifications”, click the three dots next to Y2mate > Remove.
Under “Allowed to send notifications”, click the three dots next to Y2mate > Remove.
After disabling Y2mate notifications, it’s a good idea to scan your computer with a professional cleaning tool like Antivirus One to check for adware or other malware. Although Y2mate looks harmless at first glance, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
