Do not trust the "Adobe Flash Player" is out of date scam

What is "Adobe Flash Player" is out of date"?

When opened, this deceptive website displays a pop-up window suggesting that the installed version of Adobe Flash Player is out of date and encourages users to download and install the latest version. At the time of research, this page downloaded an installer of two applications: Media Player and MyCouponsmart.

Like most websites of this type, this page is designed to trick people into installing potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). In most cases, these sites distribute PUAs such as browser hijackers and adware, however, some attempt to trick visitors into installing Trojans, ransomware and other high-risk malware.

According to this website, the installed version of Adobe Flash Player does not include the latest security updates and cannot be used unless it is updated. It downloads a file called "Adobe Flash Player.dmg", which is supposedly designed to install the latest Adobe Flash Player, however, rather than installing any legitimate software it installs Media Player and MyCouponsmart.

Note that MyCouponsmart is adware that serves intrusive ads including coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, and so on. These conceal underlying content of visited pages and, if clicked, open potentially malicious pages or download and install unwanted software.

Furthermore, adware can record browsing-related information such as IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited pages, entered search queries, and other browsing data. In some cases, this software collects private, sensitive details. The people responsible for these apps misuse gathered data to generate revenue, or they sell it to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals).

Note that another app that is included with this fake Adobe Flash Player installer might operate as adware. In some cases, fake installers are used to infect systems with malware such as a Trojans, ransomware or other malicious software.

People with computers infected with programs of this kind usually experience data and financial loss, problems with browsing safety, privacy, and risk becoming victims of identity theft. Therefore, software should never be downloaded from any scam websites.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Adobe Flash Player" is out of date pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	According to this website, the installed version of Adobe Flash Player is out of date.
Detection Names (Adobe Flash Player.dmg)	Avast (MacOS:Agent-FJ [Adw]), AVG (MacOS:Agent-FJ [Adw]), DrWeb (Adware.Mac.Bundlore.775), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Bnodlero.ah), Full List (VirusTotal)
Promoted Unwanted Application	Media Player, MyCouponsmart
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information.
Malware Removal (Mac)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Other examples of similar scam websites include operatedevelopeduberprogram[.]icu, operateuberrefinedprogram[.]icu and mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info. Typically, they deceive visitors into using fake Adobe Flash Player installers by suggesting that the installed version of this software is outdated.

These installers do not provide the official Adobe Flash Player software - they install PUAs or other malicious software. Websites of this type are often opened by PUAs that are already installed on browsers and/or operating systems.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

People often download and install PUAs unintentionally when they are included into the download/installation set-ups of other (mainly free) software. Information about these additional downloads/installations can be found in settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", "Manual", etc.

When software is downloaded or installed without checking and changing these settings, PUAs receive permission to be downloaded and installed.

This PUA distribution method is known as "bundling" and is used by developers to trick people into downloading and installing unwanted apps with other, regular software. In other cases, PUAs are downloaded and installed when people click deceptive ads that run certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Unwanted downloads and installations can be avoided by downloading software only from official websites. Avoid third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule), dubious websites and other similar channels.

Check "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the download/installation setup and dismiss offers to download or install additionally-included software. Do not click intrusive ads that appear on dubious web pages - they often cause redirects to untrusted and potentially malicious websites or download/installation of PUAs.

Remove any unwanted, suspicious applications (extensions, plug-ins, add-ons) already installed on the browser immediately. The same should be applied to software that is installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of ""Adobe Flash Player" is out of date" scam (GIF):

Text in a pop-up window:

Latest version of Player is recommended to encode and/or decode (play) audio files in high quality - click here to update for latest version.

"Adobe Flash Player" is out of date

The version of "Adobe Flash Player" on your system does not include the latest flash update and has been blocked. To continue using "Adobe Flash Player", download an update version.

The download process will be performed by launching mediadownloader, which is a platform for the installation of software ("Installer"). The Installer may include suggestions for the installation of additional free software offers ("Offers"), alongside the installation. You may choose to install the offers during the installation process. You may also remove the offers after you have chosen to install them. IP address will be logged for analytics and fraud detection reasons and will be deleted from our records after 24 hours. You can download without using the Installer from its original site. Your use of the Installer is subject to the Installer's Terms of Use & Privacy Policy. Uninstall

Fake Adobe Flash Player installer:

Another screenshot of fake Adobe Flash Player installer:

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is "Adobe Flash Player" is out of date pop-up?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

• Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
• Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
• Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
• Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
• Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

• If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
• If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
• If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
• Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

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