Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites.ĭeceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads. Any adware-type or other unwanted apps should be uninstalled immediately. Therefore, data-tracking apps can cause privacy, browsing safety issues, or even identity theft. They often target personal, sensitive data.ĭevelopers share recorded information with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse private data to generate revenue. They gather entered search queries, geo-locations, URLs of visited websites, IP addresses, and so on. If clicked, these ads open dubious, potentially malicious websites, or run scripts designed to cause other unwanted downloads/installations.Īnother downside of these PUAs is that they continually collect browsing-related, and other, data. They feed users with coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, and so on. People often arrive at these websites due to installed adware-type PUAs, which deliver advertisements that conceal underlying content of any visited website.
Therefore, unofficial websites should not be used to update or download software. Generally, websites of this type trick people into downloading and installing unwanted applications (adware and so on). In fact, this site has nothing do to with the official Flash Player and will not update the current installed version. They attempt to make visitors believe that they do not have the latest version installed - having it installed will supposedly improve browsing performance. Scammers use this deceptive website to trick people into installing the latest Flash Player (supposedly, Adobe Flash Player). Once installed, PUAs deliver annoying, unwanted advertisements and collect user-system information. These installations are often caused unintentionally. Generally, people arrive at websites of this type due to adware-type, potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) installed on their systems. This scam is distributed through a deceptive and unofficial website. "Fake Flash Player Update" is a scam used to trick people into downloading an unofficial (fake) Flash Player that is presented as the Adobe Flash Player (it uses a very similar logo). To read the entire Flash end of life page, go to /products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html. Removing these directories deletes the Flash preferences and cache files. You can find these folders inside your home directory in the Library folder (follow the path listed). Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player You can download the uninstallers here: flash-player-mac-os.html" target="_blank">/flash-player/k … 8-player-mac-os.htmlĪfter the uninstaller finishes, you still need to delete two folders on your Mac.
There are separate uninstallers for Mac OS 10.1 to 10.3 and for Mac OS X 10.4 to current. You'll need to determine which version of MacOS you are using, then download the appropriate Flash Uninstaller from Adobe. If you have a Mac, you have a bit more to do to remove Flash. flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html.
You can find the full instructions at helpx. Other apps that use Flash might include AOL Instant Messenger or Yahoo! Messenger.īasically, quit all your programs and then run the Flash Uninstaller.
If you have a Windows PC, you should download the Flash Uninstaller from Adobe, then quit all your browsers and any other programs that use Flash. Hopefully it is already gone, but in case you still have it installed, here are some instructions to remove it. What you do need to do is make sure Flash is removed from your computers. Website developers knew this was coming and they've (hopefully) removed Flash from their websites. There's really not much from a content standpoint to do. It was great at first, but then it was found to be a big security hole for hackers to exploit.Īdobe kept issuing patches to keep the bad guys out, but ultimately it was determined that Flash was not worth the risk, so big companies like Apple and Google said they would no longer support it.įinally, Adobe just threw in the towel and turned off Flash on Dec. In case you don't know, Adobe Flash is a piece of software that web developers used to place animations, audio and video on websites.