Adobe Releases Security Update for Flash Player

August 11, 2010

Adobe Releases Security Update for Flash Player: Adobe has released Flash Player 10.1.82.76 to address multiple vulnerabilities. See Go here for the details.

See what version of Flash you have installed for each browser brand, here. If you use the current version of Firefox it will tell you to update Flash, when a new version has been released. Internet Explorer users still need to go to Adobe and update the ActiveX version manually.

Due to exploits in the wild, you are strongly advised to update your Flash players now! Adobe recommends users of Adobe AIR 2.0.2.12610 and earlier versions update to Adobe AIR 2.0.3, by downloading it from the Adobe AIR Download Center.

Note, that previously, one could navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash and use the FlashUtil(version#).exe application to run a manual update. Those files no longer work that way. Now, the FlashUtil apps uninstall Flash, rather than update it. You can download the new Flash installers, named: install_flash_player_ax.exe, for Internet Explorer based browsers, and install_flash_player.exe, for Mozilla based browsers (non-ActiveX), from the Adobe Flash Download Center. Administrator privileges are required to install or update Flash via these installer files. Use "Run As" (Administrator & password) if necessary.

A word of warning!
As you browse the Internet, or read emails about watching movies online, always beware of any links that take you to a page that tells you to update your Flash Player, but the link does not go to www.adobe.com, or http://www.adobe.com/go/getflash/ . Cyber criminals are famous for creating fake Flash and YouTube players, with a spinning circle in a black player screen, telling you that your Flash Player needs updating and click there. If you hover your mouse over those links you may or may not see that they never leave that website. The files you are about to downland and run from these fake web pages are Trojan Horse programs designed to make your PC a member of a Botnet, or install rogue security scanners, or a login stealing Trojan, like the Zeus/Zbot Trojan.

If you are tricked into clicking on a fake media player and a download dialog appears, dismiss it immediately, then close your browser. Use your anti-virus scanner to see if malware was downloaded into the browser's cache and remove it, or clear the cache. Always update your anti-malware definitions before scanning for new threats.

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