Got a pop-up from Adobe

Question

Hi everyone,
 
I have a MacBook with a Safari browser. I got a pop-up from Adobe this morning, 12/1/20, saying that Adobe was discontinuing support for their Flash software. There was a button on the pop-up to uninstall but I didn't click on it because I've had aggressive hackers try to use a fake Adobe pop-up to try and take control of my computer. Right now, Safari (my Mac browser) deactivated the program and it's in storage on the computer and not being used. I got rid of the pop-up and went directly to the Adobe site to confirm that yes, Adobe was discontinuing support for Flash as of 12/31/2020. If I do nothing, and do not uninstall  the Flash program, I think it would just remain in storage and there wouldn't be any issues, but I'm not sure. On the other hand, is there a place on the Adobe website where I may legitimately uninstall Adobe Flash? This maybe an easier issue to deal with than I realize at the moment. Thanks for your help. [Email removed by moderator for your protection.]

_maria_ · Accepted Answer

You're concern for internet security is very legitimate. With that said, the prompt to uninstall is most likely legitimate as well, as Adobe has started displaying the prompt to remind users to uninstall Flash Player ahead of it's end-of-life at the end of 2020.

Apple dropped support for Flash Player in Safari 14, released in Sept 2020. I think this is what you mean by "Right now, Safari (my Mac browser) deactivated the program and it's in storage on the computer and not being used"

As Flash Player is being end-of-lifed, it's recommended to uninstall it, instead of just leaving it on the system. To download the uninstaller, go to https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-mac-os.html

For completeness, here's the original Flash Player end-of-life announcement: https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/07/25/adobe-flash-update.html

And the recently published end-of-life FAQ: https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html