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Fake Abode Flaash Player Update - Warning!
offtotheraces
Posts: 723
Forum Member
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I just got hit by a pop-up asking me to update Flash Player, and in a moment of total stupidity I thought it was genuine and so I clicked on it and ran the install.
Firstly, the install process itself is severely distruptive. Your PC will freeze repeatedly and be generally un-useable during the install, which seems to go on forever.
Then, you'll realise you've been targeted by something really hideous as it's not only a fake update, it bundles LOADS of spyware/malware onto your PC which you didn't ask for. I've just removed about half a dozen programmes this "update" installed and what a pain in the arse it is.
I'm now going to run an anti-virus scan and Malwarebytes but hopefully I've removed the worst of what this "update" foisted upon me.
Am now feeling very annoyed and wanted to warn others so that no one else wastes their time. The whole process has taken up at least about half an hour! I'm seething. :mad:
Firstly, the install process itself is severely distruptive. Your PC will freeze repeatedly and be generally un-useable during the install, which seems to go on forever.
Then, you'll realise you've been targeted by something really hideous as it's not only a fake update, it bundles LOADS of spyware/malware onto your PC which you didn't ask for. I've just removed about half a dozen programmes this "update" installed and what a pain in the arse it is.
I'm now going to run an anti-virus scan and Malwarebytes but hopefully I've removed the worst of what this "update" foisted upon me.
Am now feeling very annoyed and wanted to warn others so that no one else wastes their time. The whole process has taken up at least about half an hour! I'm seething. :mad:
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And quite effective.
These scams are a nightmare. :mad:
Did the popup come up the same way a genuine Adobe flash update appears?
Did your popup occur after you started your browser?
After a while, you'll go blind and won't be able to distinguish the authenticity.
You may also grow hairs on the palms of your hand(s).:D
Actually, in this case it was just a pop-up and I thought it was genuine as I assumed my anti-virus would catch it if not. So it's even sillier I was caught out.
I run Ad Blocker for Firefox, Microsoft Security Essentials, and Malwarebytes and the sucker still got through. :mad:
Were you on a dodgy website ? You could go to add-ons in firefox and search for WOT (web of trust) which will point out dodgy sites. The only problem with it is that it will sometimes identify OK sites as dodgy but won't say some dodgy sites are OK.
Another good thing to have is a hosts file so you can't connect to most of the dodgy sites.
Yep! Apart from this incident it's been very good.
I'd imagine there are always things which can get through any safe guard. Cyber-criminals are no doubt a couple of steps ahead of most of us.
hope you have Microsoft security essentials disabled when using pro version as 2 programmes with active 24/7 antivirus can conflict with each other
I don't think the pop-up I received contained a website link. If it did, I didn't notice. Which shows my lack of attention is probably at fault for actually clicking on it. Argh!
I run MSE at the moment & I'm considering buying Malwarebytes for real time malware protection. Do these 2 programs really cause a conflict?
MSE and free malwarebytes is o.k. as long as trial version is not activated ,mse >antivirus ,
malwarebytes anti-malware on-demand
there's no point in buying pro version unless mse is disabled ,of course you could disable active protection in malwarebytes but why pay to do that if it's free to run like this ,far safer having anti-virus (mse) and malwarebytes for piece of mind on-demand ,running 2 at same time with active prevention is not safe to use and make your p.c. vulnerable ,personaly i'd leave mse for anti-virus ,used trial version of malwarebytes a few times on own and it didn't protect me ,only mse scan removed virus .
great product malwarebytes for on-demand but not as powerful as dedicated anti-virus imo.
pro-version is just way of making cash ,paying doesn't make you safer ,running regular full scan does with add-blockers ,pop-up blockers and scrip hider/blocking elements ,common sense and everything up to date ,direct from official sources keeps you safe