Beware bogus Adobe Flash "installers"

by: John Galt

Last modified: Jan 16, 2019 8:49 AM

12 14165 Last modified Jan 16, 2019 8:49 AM

Q: Which one of these Adobe Flash update notifications is legitimate?

(to enlarge an image, click it)

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

A: None of the above. They are scams.

All of them are attempts to have you willfully agree to install various system modifications that will affect your Internet browsing. They are not related to Flash Player in any way, and following them may not result in either updating or installing Flash.

Those phony "alerts" seek to deceive you into making modifications to your Internet browser to deliver interest-based targeted advertising that you probably don't want, to convince you of an urgent need to call some con artist who will offer fix a problem that doesn't exist (for a fee), and / or to convince you of the need to install any number of ill-conceived "cleaning" or "maintenance" products that should never be installed on any Mac.

Those system modifications are directly responsible for the overwhelming majority of Mac-related problems that appear on this site every day.

The only correct response to those bogus messages is to ignore them. Close the web page.
- If you can't close the page, please read Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages for the solution.
Consider clearing Safari's history so that you don't inadvertently navigate back to the same bogus webpage.
Never react to such a popup by downloading and installing some magical fix for a problem that doesn't exist.
- There are no consequences to the mere appearance of these phony "updaters".
As long as you did not succumb to the attempted scam by downloading whatever junk it's attempting to convince you to download, no other action is necessary, or justified.

If that popup successfully deceived you into installing something, you could experience Safari and other Internet browser misbehavior, inexplicable system crashes, data loss, general system instability, or all of the above.

If you really are using an outdated version of Adobe's Flash Player, Apple-provided updates to your Mac's operating system will block it automatically.
If you are not using Adobe Flash Player, great!
- Flash Player has always been a potential vector for malware intrusion and it always will be.
- Most websites no longer require Flash so there is little need for it any more.
If you are using Adobe Flash Player and you want to uninstall it, great!
- To do that follow these instructions: https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-mac-os.html
- Uninstalling Flash Player is likely to result in fewer intrusive advertisements that you probably don't want anyway.
- You are less likely to succumb to fraudulent attempts to "update" a product that isn't even installed.
The scam messages illustrated above can appear whether you are using Flash Player or not.

These few examples illustrate a small handful of the threats littering the Internet these days. Think before you click. Please read Effective defenses against malware and other threats.

For future reference: Adobe Flash Player won't be around forever. The above examples simply rely upon its popularity and familiarity in their attempts to deceive you into believing the phony "update" is legitimate. One day, some other, equally popular product with a completely different purpose will supplant this limited example. Attempts to deceive you will remain the same. Some things never change.