Adobe Flash Downloads from certain sites turn out to be malware.
Are you a member of Facebook, MySpace or Twitter? Have you ever downloaded Adobe Flash or the Adobe Flash update? You could be in serious danger if you download Adobe Flash through any of these popular social network sites online. Adobe has released an advisory posted on their website warning users that you should not download Flash Player from a site other than adobe.com. How many of us really pay close attention to a Flash Player update when we want to see Flash content of a video?
Hackers are getting sneaker each and every day with the way they spread malware onto thousands of computers worldwide. Hackers are using a Flash Player file which in reality is a malicious executable that can port parasites onto your computer. They take it a step further by using popular social networks to help spread this garbage. Because Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are such big networks they can reach a large number of gullible computer users. You don't have to become a victim, you still have a way out in this situation. Below is the advisory that Adobe has posted on their site, adobe.com:
First off, do not download Flash Player from a site other than adobe.com - you can find the link for downloading Flash Player here. This goes for any piece of software (Reader, Windows Media Player, QuickTime, etc.) - if you get a notice to update, it's not a bad idea to go directly to the site of the software vendor and download the update directly from the source. If the download is from an unfamiliar URL or an IP address, you should be suspicious.
Second, all Adobe software for Windows is signed with a digital certificate that is validated by Windows when you install our software. The Publisher will always be ‘Adobe Systems, Incorporated', and you can verify this when you double-click the installer, or by right-clicking on the installer, selecting ‘Properties', and going to the ‘Digital Signatures' tab.
Because Flash is pretty much the most widely deployed software in the world, we can only reiterate what Adobe has said about the fake Flash Player. It is essential that you pay special attention to this situation when you utilize Facebook, MySpace or Twitter from now on.