Flash player app is version 451 safe to use on Mac

I accidentally fell for a false flash download. Everything is messed up. I've been on the phone with Apple 3x extensively but they never addressed the idea of having malware on the machine. Now I'd like to restore a back up from my time machine but am nervous that I might mess up something else. What should I do?

Flash is not safe even if from Adobe, Adobe has actually given up hope of ever making it safe.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3049920/the-agonizingly-slow-decline-of-adobe-flash- player

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/08/flash-player-is-dead-long-live-flash-player/

FlashPlayer is safe to use, but ONLY if downloaded from the Adobe site. Never respond to a pop up message indicating that it needs an update.

From here: Adobe Flash Player Install for all versions

No idea what "Flash player app 451" is. The current version of Flash Player is 31.0.0.153.