Kay94564

Q: Repeated Message that Flash Player is Out of Date

I use Chrome as my default browser on my iMac and have been quite satisfied.  Yesterday, I started getting "yellow" messages that Adobe Flash Player was blocked because it was outdated.  I checked and I have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.  However, the message that it was blocked because of an outdated Adobe Flash Player keeps returning.  It doesn't seem to matter what application I'm at the time the message appears -- Facebook, Google, etc.    I've even tried uninstalling Adobe and reinstalling it, but the problem doesn't seem to be with Adobe at all.  This is annoying.  How can I get rid of this message?  Thanks.

iMac, iOS 8.4, null

Posted on Jul 14, 2015 7:12 AM

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Q: Repeated Message that Flash Player is Out of Date

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  • by rkaufmann87,Helpful

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jul 14, 2015 7:42 AM in response to Kay94564
    Level 9 (58,704 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 14, 2015 7:42 AM in response to Kay94564

    First Chrome has Flash integrated into it, however there are problems using Chrome in that it is a severe resource hog. If you are okay with that then continue using it or consider using another browser. As for the Flash popup, navigate to Adobe's website and install from there, if the messages continue then you likely have installed some adware. In order to remove it, please download AdWare Medic or manually locate the adware and remove it.

  • by Kay94564,

    Kay94564 Kay94564 Jul 14, 2015 7:53 AM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 14, 2015 7:53 AM in response to rkaufmann87

    Thanks. I did go directly to Adobe site and checked that I already had the latest version. And I checked AdWare Medic because my first thought was adware was present, but no adware was detected. This is really puzzling.  Any other thoughts??

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jul 14, 2015 8:00 AM in response to Kay94564
    Level 9 (58,704 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 14, 2015 8:00 AM in response to Kay94564

    The next time the yellow message appears, can you capture it in a screen capture and post it?

     

    Also, post an EtreCheck report of your system. We can look to see if there is anything obvious that is causing the problem. You can get EtreCheck by clicking http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

  • by Kay94564,

    Kay94564 Kay94564 Jul 14, 2015 8:49 AM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 14, 2015 8:49 AM in response to rkaufmann87

    I'm a computer newbie, so I can't figure out how to post the screen shot.

     

    EtreCheck says Flash Player is outdated too, but when I go to Adobe 18.0 appears to be the latest version:      Flash Player: Version: 18.0.0.203 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update


    And finally, Chrome says that Chrome users don't even have to update Adobe Flash, that it's done automatically.


    Sorry to be so long-winded!!!




    EtreCheck:

     

    Problem description:

    Using Chrome browser.  Getting repeated messages that Adobe Flash Player is blocked because it is outdated.  Checked that it is up-to-date, but continue to get the message.

     

    EtreCheck version: 2.2 (132)

    Report generated 7/14/15, 8:08 AM

    Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck

     

    Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.

    Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.

     

    Hardware Information: ℹ️

        iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) (Technical Specifications)

        iMac - model: iMac12,1

        1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4-core

        16 GB RAM Upgradeable

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                8 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                8 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok

            BANK 0/DIMM1

                Empty  

            BANK 1/DIMM1

                Empty  

        Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

        Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

     

    Video Information: ℹ️

        AMD Radeon HD 6770M - VRAM: 512 MB

            iMac 1920 x 1080

     

    System Software: ℹ️

        OS X 10.10.4 (14E46) - Time since boot: 1:57:59

     

    Disk Information: ℹ️

        ST31000528AS disk0 : (1 TB)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 999.35 GB (856.64 GB free)

            Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

     

        HL-DT-STDVDRW  GA32N 

     

    USB Information: ℹ️

        Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

        Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

        Seagate Backup+ Desk 3 TB

            EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 315 MB

            Seagate Backup Plus Drive (disk1s2) /Volumes/Seagate Backup Plus Drive : 3.00 TB (2.57 TB free)

        Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

     

    Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️

        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Gatekeeper: ℹ️

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Launch Daemons: ℹ️

        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]

     

    User Login Items: ℹ️

        iTunesHelper    Application Hidden (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

     

    Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

        FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 18.0.0.203 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

        Flash Player: Version: 18.0.0.203 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update

        AdobePDFViewer: Version: 9.0.0 [Click for support]

        Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

        SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30317.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

        Flash Player  [Click for support]

     

    Time Machine: ℹ️

        Mobile backups: OFF

        Auto backup: YES

        Volumes being backed up:

            Macintosh HD: Disk size: 999.35 GB Disk used: 142.70 GB

        Destinations:

            Seagate Backup Plus Drive [Local]

            Total size: 3.00 TB

            Total number of backups: 122

            Oldest backup: 2013-09-03 20:11:20 +0000

            Last backup: 2015-07-14 14:48:01 +0000

            Size of backup disk: Excellent

                Backup size 3.00 TB > (Disk size 999.35 GB X 3)

     

    Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

             2%    WindowServer

             1%    fontd

             0%    taskgated

             0%    askpermissiond

     

    Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

        912 MB    kernel_task

        311 MB    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(2)

        213 MB    mds_stores

        197 MB    Google Chrome

        131 MB    Mail

     

    Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

        12.00 GB    Free RAM

        4.49 GB    Used RAM

        0 B    Swap Used

     

    Diagnostics Information: ℹ️

        Jul 14, 2015, 06:09:20 AM    Self test - passed

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jul 14, 2015 8:55 AM in response to Kay94564
    Level 9 (58,704 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 14, 2015 8:55 AM in response to Kay94564

    I don't see anything in the EtreCheck report.

     

    To take a screen shot, click Mac keyboard shortcuts - Apple Support where you will find the keyboard shortcut. To post the screen shot, click the camera icon when you click reply to this message and then navigate to where the screen shot is stored.

     

    Finally, consider using another browser. Try using Safari for awhile and see if the issue continues.

  • by Kay94564,

    Kay94564 Kay94564 Jul 14, 2015 9:11 AM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 14, 2015 9:11 AM in response to rkaufmann87

    Thanks for all of your help.  I updated Chrome and reported the problem to Google.  Maybe they will get back to me.  If so, I will share with the community.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 14, 2015 9:54 AM in response to Kay94564
    Level 10 (207,995 points)
    Applications
    Jul 14, 2015 9:54 AM in response to Kay94564

    The update alerts are fake, and are intended to dupe you into installing malware or disclosing private information so that your identity can be stolen.

    You might get the alerts when visiting a website that has been hacked. Don't visit the site again. If applicable, notify the site administrator of the problem, but don't send email to an unknown party.

    If you get the alerts when visiting more than one well-known website, such as Google, YouTube, or Facebook, then they may be the result of an attack on your router that has caused you to get false results from looking up the addresses of Internet servers. Requests sent to those sites are redirected to a server controlled by the attacker. It's possible, but less likely, that the DNS server used by your ISP has been attacked.

    Back up all data.

    Unlock the Network preference pane, if necessary, by clicking the lock icon in the lower left corner and entering your password. Cllck Advanced, open the DNS tab, and change the server addresses to the following:

              8.8.8.8

              8.8.4.4

    That's Google DNS. Click OK, then Apply.

    In Safari, select

              Safari ▹ Preferences... Privacy Remove All Website Data

    and confirm. If you’re using another browser, empty the cache. Test. If the fake update alerts stop, see below. Otherwise, ask for instructions.

    The router's documentation should tell you how to reset it to the factory default state. Usually there's a pinhole switch somewhere in the back. It may be labeled "RESET." Insert the end of a straightened paper clip or a similar tool and press the button inside for perhaps 15 seconds, or as long as the instructions specify.

    After resetting the router, quit the web browser and relaunch it while holding down the shift key. From the Safari menu bar, select

              Safari Preferences... Privacy Remove All Website Data

    and confirm. Do the equivalent if you use another browser. Open the Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.

    Then go through the router's initial setup procedure. I can't be specific, because it's different for every model. The key points are these:

    1. Don't allow the router to be administered from the WAN (Internet) port, if it has that option. Most do.

    2. Set a strong password to protect the router's settings: at least ten random upper- and lower-case letters and digits. Don't use the default password or any other that could be guessed. Save the password in your keychain. Any password that you can remember is weak.

    3. If the router is wireless, or if you have a wireless access point on the network, use "WPA 2 Personal" security and set a different strong password to protect the network. If the router or access point doesn't support WPA 2, it's obsolete and must be replaced.

    During the time the router was compromised, you were redirected to bogus websites. If you ever connected to a secure site and got a warning from your browser that the identity of the server could not be verified, and you dismissed that warning in order to log in, assume that your credentials for the site have been stolen and that the attacker has control of the account. This warning also applies to all websites on which you saw the fake update alerts.

    Check the router manufacturer's website for a firmware update.

    If you downloaded and installed what you thought was a software update, ask for instructions.

  • by Kay94564,

    Kay94564 Kay94564 Jul 14, 2015 11:02 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 14, 2015 11:02 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks for all of this information.  First of all, my ISP is Comcast.  As a computer newbie (a REAL newbie at that), I'm kind of overwhelmed right now. In spite of my confusion, I think I was able to do most of what you suggested:  I changed the DNS settings as you suggested on my Comcast account -- will that create any problems with Comcast since the settings were so very different. I am using a wireless router/modem provided by Comcast, and it is already set to WPA2 already.  I just changed my password also. And, I went to Safari preferences and selected "remove all website data"  Didn't see an option to do this in Chrome??  And I backed up my iMac.

     

    Now I guess I will just sit back and see if I've been successful.

     

    Thanks for all of this information.  It was very helpful.

  • by Paul_31,

    Paul_31 Paul_31 Jul 14, 2015 11:08 AM in response to Kay94564
    Level 6 (13,925 points)
    Jul 14, 2015 11:08 AM in response to Kay94564

    Chrome has just been updated to incorporate a Flash update. Launch Chrome and from the Chrome menu select 'About Chrome'. It should update Chrome to the latest version. You'll be prompted to restart Chrome.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Jul 14, 2015 11:48 AM in response to Kay94564
    Level 10 (141,223 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 14, 2015 11:48 AM in response to Kay94564

    You might want to reconsider using Chrome as your browser after reading this: Google Chrome Listening In To Your Room Shows The Importance Of Privacy Defense In Depth.

     

    Google is known to "phone home" with users data as was found out with this new Google Photos service:  Google Photos may be free — but there's still a cost.

     

    Just some food for thought.

     

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