Any supposed Flash Player update you see is malware. If you see something like that, DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE. Yet you may still come across websites claiming that you need to update Flash Player, and offering to allow you to download it. And from January 12, 2021, Adobe has blocked Flash Player content from playing on computers where that software is installed.When there are vulnerabilities related to Flash Player, which happens often, it’s important to update your Flash Player plug-in—if you already have it on your Mac and are sure that you still need it.But you may be wondering a few things, such as what the heck is a plug-in? How do you know if the version of Flash you have is the one that needs updating? And how can you make sure you’re as safe as possible when updating the software, given the constant flood of problems that are being reported? These are all valid concerns that we’ll clear up, putting your mind at ease when it comes time to update Adobe Flash Player.Note that Adobe has announced that Flash Player will no longer be supported after December 31, 2020, and, while Flash Player content will not all disappear on that date, it has already become rare. If you’re interested in understanding why Flash Player was so problematic, read on to discover the saga of Flash Player.For years, Flash Player has been a major vector for malware, and bogus Flash Player installers and updaters have served as Trojan horses to infect Macs and PCs. But you should no longer worry about Flash Player, no matter what websites tell you.Historically, AIR applications failed several of the Mac App Store Review Guidelines: Apps that download or install additional code or resources to add.When updating this article, we decided to leave the remainder as is, for historical reasons.
![]() ![]() At the bottom of the left-hand column, you’ll see Plug-ins if it is installed, Adobe Flash Player will show with its version number.In Firefox, choose Firefox > Preferences, then click Extensions & Themes at the bottom of the sidebar. But when you see this type of dialog, how can you tell if the Flash update is valid or an attempt to install malware on your Mac? How to verify which Flash version you have installedThe easiest way to check which version of Flash Player you have, and whether you need to update it, is to go to Adobe’s Flash Player Help web page.You can also check in Safari by going to Safari > Preferences, then Websites. Adobe notifies Flash users of new available updates by displaying a dialog. Code wont sent to mac for text message forwardingGoogle Chrome is the most popular browser that contains an embedded Flash Player, and it’s available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. How to know when you need to update Flash PlayerFirst of all, if your browser has its own embedded Flash Player, then by updating your browser you’ll also update to the latest version of Flash Player. If you enter chrome://settings/content in Chrome’s address bar, you’ll find some Flash settings.For other browsers, see Adobe’s Flash Player Help page. Over 600,000 Mac users installed the fake update to Adobe Flash thinking it was valid, thereby infecting their machines with malware.And while Flashback was rampant nine years ago, a lot of recent malware has also attempted to masquerade as Flash Player installers, including many Shlayer variants.It’s a very common trick to display dialogs that look like Flash Player update notifications, to trick people into downloading Trojan horses. The best known example of a fake Flash update is the Flashback Trojan horse, which first masqueraded as a Flash Player installer package targeting Mac users. Note that for both of these browsers, Flash is actually disabled by default, and you can only enable it temporarily, so you’ll need to toggle a setting before you can use Flash content (see Google’s instructions for Chrome, or Microsoft’s instructions for Edge).But if you’re using another browser that doesn’t have an embedded copy of Flash, and still supports plug-ins, you’ll need to update your Flash Player manually—and with caution—as detailed below.As mentioned earlier, fake Flash Player updates have been used to install malware on both Macs and PCs. Flash Player installs a preference pane click it to see settings for the plug-in. If an update is available, it will tell you.You can also check in System Preferences. Go to Adobe’s Flash Player Help page, as mentioned above. Adobe Air Mac OS X 10There’s a single uninstaller for Windows ( direct download link).Why you should be careful with Flash Player updatesMalware authors will frequently employ tricky tactics to make malware look like something you should trust, so it’s important to get your updates only directly from the vendor that publishes them. Most modern Macs will require the Flash uninstaller for macOS version 10.6 and later ( direct download link), but Adobe also makes an uninstaller available for Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 ( direct download link). Download the uninstaller for your operating system, and run the uninstaller app. If you want to uninstall Flash Player, go to Adobe’s Uninstall Flash Player page for Mac or Windows. How to uninstall Flash PlayerWith all these worries about Flash Player, you might not want to bother with it. While it’s better sometimes to wait to ensure that updates are stable, with Flash Player it’s probably a good idea to get updates automatically, so you get them as soon as possible. (If you find any, delete them.)With the number of security issues that have been associated with Flash Player, it is essential to keep this software up to date, as you should do with all your software. If you do want to install Flash Player, or any other plug-in, don’t download it from a random web page, and especially check your Downloads folder to see if an installer or disk image was downloaded automatically. There are legitimate reasons to do this, but in many cases these installations can be malicious. When visiting a web page, if you are asked to install a program or plug-in on your computer, be very careful. But in no case should you download a Flash Player updater from any other website.It’s a good idea to always doubt the validity of automatic software update dialogs, especially those for Adobe Flash Player.
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