“Mac users are once again being urged to exercise caution when installing updates to Adobe Flash Player, after a fake update was discovered infecting computers,” Graham Cluley reports for Intego. “Intego security experts have identified the rogue package installer as a variant of OSX/InstallCore, and have updated Intego VirusBarrier definitions to provide protection.”
“The in-the-wild attack has been spread in the form of a Mac Package installer .pkg file, also known a flat package, and has been signed with a legitimate Developer ID certificate — effectively tricking OS X’s built-in Gatekeeper security to believe that the files can be trusted and are not malicious,” Cluley reports. “As a result, victims may find that their OS X computers have had a number of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) installed on their systems. Intego researchers report that third-party apps they have seen being installed by the fake Adobe Flash update include MegaBackup, ZipCloud, and MacKeeper.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Just to be safe, we only update Flash – on the few Macs that still have Flash installed – directly via Adobe’s website: http://www.adobe.com/support/flash/downloads.html. We recommend you do the same.
How do you know thats Adobe’s web site?
Easiest, most secure way is from Flash in System Preferences.
Thanks
I agree with Ken. Let only the official Adobe updater do the updating.
Yes, when a web site tells me to update Flash, I go to System Preferences on the Flash pane, to (1) confirm there is an update available and (2) initiate the update.
Remove or uninstall flash from your computer today!
Stop using flash. Stop using flash. Stop using flash. Stop using flash. Stop using flash.
Adobe Flash is a CPU abusive hog and a computer security risk, known so for years now.
People/end users keep using Flash even when there’s alternatives to eliminate or mitigate that computer security risk.
The moment your computer fan starts whistling, CPU usage is at 90-100%, and overheating, when watching a web video, you know there must be something VERY wrong with that technology and must stop using it. Steve Jobs had already said/called out the problems with Flash and why to stop using it.
I uninstalled Flash from my MBP a week ago after that exploit that Adobe said affected ONE BILLION users.
If I need to use Flash for something, I watch it with Chrome.
Steve Jobs was so right on this.
The recent in-the-wild Adobe Flash exploit was limited to Windows 10. But it has since been proven that it could well run on OS X if foisted there as well.
The exploit only nails people with Adobe Flash version 20.x. The recent versions of Flash have all be 21.x. So, if you updated Flash last month, you’re already fine.
Trouble is Chrome is in itself somethings I refuse to have on my computer because you cannot stop it continually contacting Google in all sorts of ways even with Little Snitch and even if you try to remove it it still tries to contact home.
If you don’t use Adobe Flash, you can’t fall for fake Adobe Flash installers. But sadly, stupid, profoundly insecure Flash remains fairly ubiquitous. Bleh.
Intego researchers report that third-party apps they have seen being installed by the fake Adobe Flash update include MegaBackup, ZipCloud, and MacKeeper.
Oh, big surprise. The rectal pores at Kromtech, act like they’re all angelic after buying shite MacKeeper from ZeoBIT. But no, here we go again proving that Kromtech is just as crooked as ZeoBIT. Disgusting.
And now we can add ZipCloud and MegaBackup to the list of deceitfully foisted software.
So Apple, where did the stolen developer security certificate come from? Yet-another Enterprise developer? Are you getting the clue that your Enterprise security certificate system is POOR and requires REPLACEMENT?! As in yesterday?! HMM???!!!
I removed flash player from my iMac & MacBookPro some time ago, & I won’t be installing it any time soon.
I just wish anonymous would launch a sustained DDoS attack against the adobe flash download site.
“Just to be safe, we only update Flash – on the few Macs that still have Flash installed – directly via Adobe’s website: http://www.adobe.com/support/flash/downloads.html. “
It’s easier to remember and type to just go to flash.com.
Flash? What’s this Flash you speak of? What century are we in?
I usually go to http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/.
Tells you which version is installed, and which version is current for all systems.
And, once again:
I, as a user, cannot do much about flash, as much as I hate it. There’s content I there I wish to consume. If this content is only offered as flash, I’m SOOL.
Of course I would like to tell them to stuff it where the sun don’t shine, but I want to consume the content.
The only way I see right now is using some click-to-flash plugin, and hoping that this tells the jerks I don’t want flash.
I think El Capitan is a giant resource hog, far worse than Flash.
Don’t ever do an update from your web browser. Many of those popup update warnings are fake and will lead to malware or worse. Always check updates from the systems preferences folder for Adobe Flash. Most likely it will say you are already up to date.
I keep getting an adobe flash crash every time I try to watch tv on the computer. Why is this and how can I fix it? The version I have on this computer is 21,0,0,213