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.Flash and security. This video player Mac app delivers an outstanding HD experience without.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. This how-to describes how to install the Adobe Flash Player (also known as the.So it’s fairly unlikely that you even need to use Flash Player anymore.The safest way to view Flash content is to use Google’s Chrome browser, which has a built-in version of Flash Player, so you don’t have to worry about Flash updates. Thus, Flash.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. Additionally, better alternatives have shown up over the years. (See the many posts on the Intego Mac Security Blog about Flash Player security updates.) By 2011, Flash Player was no longer included with Mac OS X, and users had to download it to view Flash content on the web.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.This is due to various security, privacy, and usability issues with the software.When it comes to plug-ins, it can be hard to know what you have installed or which version you have.Adobe’s Flash Player was long one of the most popular plug-ins, used as a multi-platform tool to provide what is called “Active Content,” meaning it adds additional functionality to web pages for interactive or media-related capability. Sometimes these come with your operating system, but sometimes you have to add them when installing certain types of software. Plug-ins are software elements used by web browsers, often to display certain types of content such as Flash or Java. What is a plug-in?Let’s start with the basics.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. Although this has helped decrease the options malware creators have for attacking iOS devices, Flash is still used on some websites, and users are often prompted to update their software.Sometimes multiple updates to Flash Player can occur in the same month. Steve Jobs penned a scathing open letter about Flash back in 2010, and this, along with the rise of iOS, which can’t run Flash Player, has contributed to its planned retirement.Flash was not included on iOS, in part because of these security vulnerabilities, but also because of performance issues Flash Player would use up the battery on an iPhone or iPad too quickly. For instance, it has been known for some time that Java is not particularly safe, but Flash has been so problematic that Apple stopped providing it with macOS. What’s the security concern with plug-ins?Media designed to be viewed with Flash Player, or other platforms, can be embedded in web pages, and are accessible to users across all operating systems, which makes the software a popular attack vector for malware creators.
![]() Google 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. Flash Player is listed as Shockwave Flash click this entry to see the exact version.If you use Google Chrome, a version of Flash Player is included in the browser you don’t have to worry about updates, because Chrome updates include updates to the plug-in. Best android emulator for games macOver 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. Running website built for mac on windowsFlash 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. Flash Player Security Download The UninstallerThere’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. 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. You’ll also want to subscribe to our e-mail newsletter and keep an eye here on The Mac Security Blog for the latest Apple security and privacy news.You can also follow Intego on your favorite social and media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube (click the □ to get notified about new videos).This entry was posted in Software & Apps and tagged Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader, Mac, malware, plugins, update. How can I learn more?Each week on the Intego Mac Podcast, Intego’s experts talk about important online safety, computer security, and privacy news, so be sure to subscribe to make sure you don’t miss any episodes. If you follow the instructions above, and only get your Flash Player updates for Adobe or have them installed via System Preferences, you’ll never again have to second guess the validity of a random Flash installer dialog. (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.
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