Adobe Flash Player is known for being of the least secure web clients on the internet. It contains a lot of vulnerabilities that can be used by hackers to steal user data, install ransomware and other malware in computers, and even get full control over a user’s system. It also has been used by scammers who utilize social engineering to get people to install fake Flash Player updates, which are usually filled with junkware or even malware.
Windows 10 Users Beware
These scams can be found all over the internet, and lately, they seem to be targeting Windows 10 users. On May 18, a user named Donnell DeLaune posted on the official Microsoft Community page that he kept seeing pop-ups from a site called yaizawikijob.org, which prompted him to download an Adobe Flash Player update in Windows 10. DeLaune clarified that he was using the Microsoft Edge web browser when these incidents happened. As of this writing, six other Microsoft Community members have clicked on the “Me Too” button, indicating that they have experienced the same thing.
Microsoft Community moderator Andre Da Costa replied to DeLaune’s post, pointing out that Adobe Flash Player is already pre-installed in Windows 10 and that “any updates for Flash Player are handled by Windows Update”. He suggested that the pop-ups might be a way for hackers to distribute Trojan viruses or any other types of malware.
It’s important to note, though, that Microsoft Edge users are not the only targets of these Flash Player scams. Another Microsoft Community member with the username TatianaO posted that she also received pop-ups from yaizawikijob.org, although they were for a “critical Mozilla Firefox update”.
Staying Vigilant
As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, people should be careful how they should update Adobe Flash Player since scams and fake updates now abound on the internet. Replying to Donnell DeLaune’s post, Microsoft forum moderator Nathaniel Mon noted that users who want to manually update their Adobe Flash Player should only do so from the official Adobe website, which is get.adobe.com/flashplayer. He reminded users that getting updates from other sites can expose their PCs to malware infection.
Check out our previous post on Adobe Flash Player scams and why you should not be downloading the software from suspicious links and advertisements.