On various web pages that have been hacked by scammers, what appears to be a legitimate Adobe Flash update page will be displayed.
This is in fact an attempt to get you to approve loading a malware program that will infect your computer.
In the displayed example there is a download a box that asks :
” What do you want to do with Flashplayer.hta (1.8 kb)?
From: oiph1meon.net”
With the choices of “Run” “Save” “Cancel”
Do NOT click any of these !!!
What you need to do is click your browser’s “BACK” button to get away from the page.
After you are off the fake update page you might even choose to manually run your Antivirus and Anti Malware programs for peace of mind.
Note that Norton Antivirus blocked the actual automatically started download file which is NOT named “Flashplayer.hta”
Various versions of this scam may use different file names
There is no need for most people to manually update Adobe Flash since if you had previously and intentionally loaded it on your computer there are settings to automate Flash updates without your having to do them manually.
In short – If you are browsing the web and a page appears that wants you to update Adobe Flash – DON’T …
Don Beach