No, you SHOULD NOT update flash player

I’ve had this bite a few friends and family members that I know. They’re browsing the web, even searching google and click on a link that seems legit – some data pops up that looks relevant, and then a few seconds later they get a VERY legit looking popup that informs they that they need to update Flash Player.

Flash was originally created by Adobe and allowed web sites to easily display videos, content, etc. With the advent of HTML 5 and its wide support, all of these functions can now be done without the need for an external player/plugin like flash. There is now no need to keep a 3rd party, potentially vulnerable, outdated, etc bit of software on your computer.

This is what some of the pop ups look like:

So – keep in mind… The internet is a bad place sometimes, if you come up against an update prompt, some prompt telling you to call about your antivirus, microsoft, the IRS, etc – its probably BULL and can be ignored. If all else fails, call that friend that knows a bunch about computers… Ask them 😉

For more info on the end of life for Adobe Flash player, check out this from Adobe themselves: https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html