OK I see there is a new adobe flash player out. But I’m also seeing stuff about trojan infection due to the adobe flash installer?
So before I install the new flash player, I want to clarify something.
Does it mean that when installing the new flash player from adobe, that the installation process is infected with a trojan virus?
OK I see there is a new adobe flash player out. But I’m also seeing stuff about trojan infection due to the adobe flash installer?
So before I install the new flash player, I want to clarify something.
Does it mean that when installing the new flash player from adobe, that the installation process is infected with a trojan virus?
Calls wrote:.
Does it mean that when installing the new flash player from adobe, that the installation process is infected with a trojan virus?
No, the installer that you download yourself from Adobe will be completely safe. But if you happen to encounter Zeroaccess somewhere, it might load its own legitimate Adobe Flash Player installer onto your system to get you to authorize the installation of the Flash Player. When you agree to the installation, Zeroaccess then drops its own DLL file into the installer and is able to install itself, overcoming the UAC safeguards. This Sophos article explains it very well:
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/zeroaccess3/
So the moral of the story is "be skeptical" - do not automatically approve the installation of any program that just happens to pop up on your desktop out of nowhere. Check it out first to make sure the vendor has actually released a new update, and if you still have doubts, go to the vendor's website yourself and download the file.
Calls wrote:
OK I see there is a new adobe flash player out. But I'm also seeing stuff about trojan infection due to the adobe flash installer?
So before I install the new flash player, I want to clarify something.
Does it mean that when installing the new flash player from adobe, that the installation process is infected with a trojan virus?
Hi Calls,
With the outbreak of the current malware that is going on, I decided to start going to the Adobe website for my Flash updates/downloads from now on. I use to always get them from the desktop, which was convenient, but I'd rather be safe than sorry to say the least.
I went to Adobe earlier today and my upgrade to Flash 11.3.300.268 went without incident and no other problems to speak of.
What's nice here, is there is usually someone at Tech Outpost, who always posts the latest Flash update, like this morning. Now that is convenient 
Ed
Oh so if you go to a website and it says hey you need the new flash player. And then that website offers you the option to download the new flash player, thats where it gets bad if the website itself is malicious? Then that website adds a nasty t the download?
So what if you are on a legit website and it offers the new flash player? Like say yahoo. com?
Then it should be safe, provided the website hasn't been hacked.
However, you can get the full installers of the latest version of Flash directly from Adobe, guaranteed malware-free. Instructions and link in the 4th post here:
When you install it, you also get the option to enable auto-update, so your clean version automatically checks for new versions, and in that case, it will not connect to anything except the real Adobe servers.
Now for the last couple of years, when I hear there is a new version of flash player, I go to adobe .com to get it. I tend to save the installer to my desktop and then install it from there.
But what I’m reading here is to not save to desktop?
I see in a few of these posts here that people dont install from thier desktop. Am I Misunderstanding something?
If you get the installer from Adobes website, there is no issue with installing it from the desktop. Those installers are NOT infected.
Calls wrote:
But what I'm reading here is to not save to desktop?
I see in a few of these posts here that people dont install from thier desktop. Am I Misunderstanding something?
Hi Calls,
I'm not sure, but maybe it was my earlier post that was confusing, when I mentioned about no longer installing from the desktop. If that was the confusion, let me clarify.
I use to have my flash player settings in XP's Control Panel set to remind/notify me, when there was a flash player update. Whenever there was an update available, the notification would always come up on the desktop after I restarted the computer from whatever I was already doing.
Thus, I would upgrade to the new version, from the Adobe dialog box on the desktop, without ever going to the website itself. That's what I meant by getting my updates from the desktop.
If that was the source of confusion, I apologize, I should have made it more clear than what I did. Sorry about that 
I changed the settings in flash player and decided to start going to the website from now on to get my updates instead.
Ed
Oh no need to applogize. Its my confusion
Yes I tend to do a complete new install of flash player when new version comes out. And I download from the adobe site, firs saving to my desktop, scanning with Norton, then install.
Calls wrote:
Yes I tend to do a complete new install of flash player when new version comes out. And I download from the adobe site, firs saving to my desktop, scanning with Norton,, then install.
Understandably, most of us are a little on edge since this outbreak, or whatever the correct term may be, of the malware infestations that we are seeing. It's like we are being visited from plagues from centuries past, except not as severe.
As per your last post, I'm going back to the way I always installed flash updates in the past.
I've always been very careful, but now I'm being super careful
Ed