can I trust adobe flash player?

Nothing wrong with it per se as I trust Adobe. However, Flash is known for being a CPU hog, which is why Apple won't let Flash anywhere near iOS. Occasionally there are security issues, so make sure to keep it up to date with patches.

I have received popup suggesting download which claim to be from the vendor but on check I have discovered many of them are not. Hence the reason I suggested going to the vendor's website to be sure you don't get a download crammed with malware.

Allan Eckert wrote:

I have received popup suggesting download which claim to be from the vendor but on check I have discovered many of them are not. Hence the reason I suggested going to the vendor's website to be sure you don't get a download crammed with malware.

I'd never follow any kind of popup directly. However some legitimate websites will direct to Adobe for the download. I get that there's phishing (since an administrator password may be requested) and malware out there, including sites that install the real thing plus all that malware.

Only download it from Adobe.com. Adobe Flash Player Download.

Only if you've gotten it by manually visiting Adobe's website or from the Flash Player pane of System Preferences; don't download it straight from any prompts to do so.

(158212)

I never trust a popup which suggest that I download. I always go to the vendor, such as Adobe in the case, and download it from there.