After I had updated my MacBook Pro to macOS 11.5.2. this August, I received a notification that Flash Player was no longer compatible and therefore got placed in the Incompatible Software folder. Now I am wondering whether this was a legitimate version or not. In case this would have been a fake one (malware), would I have received the same notification? Also, does updating your software automatically place possible malware to this same folder?
Flash was discontinued some time ago. There is no Flash content being served. There is no "legitimate" Flash Player. If a site continues to serve Flash then the site has been abandoned. There is no embedded "malware" protection or notification. Malware requires action on your part to be installed.
Flash is hard dead, and legitimate Adobe versions were updated by Adobe to disable access to Flash. Adobe bricked Flash themselves. Adobe does provide a Flash uninstaller app which can be downloaded from the Adobe website (and only download that from the Adobe website!); an uninstaller which removes Adobe Flash. This uninstaller for older versions of macOS that didn't (also) disable Adobe Flash. Big Sur does disable Flash.
Similar to Adobe Flash in its general usage, Microsoft Silverlight was retired some years ago with no patches and updates since, but was not disabled by the vendor. If you find Silverlight installed, consider removing it, absent some (increasingly unusual app still dependent on that.
These two apps Flash and Silverlight have been locally-considered remove-on-sight for a while now.
Cleaner apps are also locally-considered remove-on-sight. This given the issues that get reported around here.
Actually all version of Flash are legitimate. They are wrapped in malicious installers, but they do actually install a real copy of the Flash driver.
The problem are the other software files installed along with the Flash driver. Those will not be automatically detected and removed.
If one is concerned>> Suggest downloading from a Respected ASC Contributor the application Malwarebytes for Mac. It is free or paid for added features. Run the Application and it should remove the malware / adware. Once done, restart computer and test.
There are no known Windows-like Viruses in the wild that self replicate and affect macOS, because of the underling UNIX Foundation and Permission Limitation.
There are Malware-viruses and Adware-viruses that does affect macOS and are often times downloaded as part of an Application from Third Party UnTrusted Site and get installed along with the Application.
Adobe Flash is dead, is no longer supported by Adobe. Malware would not be moved to the folder.
Thanks for your reply!
I installed Malwarebytes after I had finished the software update. There were no findings and everything seemed to be fine. My only concern is that I hadn't updated my software for quite some time and had some trouble with pop-ups back in February which I managed to get rid of by using CleanMyMac X.
Now I only use Malwarebytes but would the scan - after I did the software update - also have detected possible malware or does updating the software immediately overwrite it?
Good no Malware sort of " CleanMyMac X. " on these ASC Forums is often referenced to a malware and it is very destructive to the OS.
As evidenced by the first 600 Posting on the ASC Forums - Remove it via the Developers instruction. And - do no install an UnInstaller to do that as most tend to do harm to the OS.
Incompatible Software
