adobe security bulletins & advisories - interpreting heading "last updated"

[lorraineb81406171]

Adobe security bulletins and advisories list headings = "originally posted" and "last updated".

Does the heading "last updated" mean the last time my computer was updated?

[_maria_]

'originally posted' usually means when the document was first posted

'last updated' usually means there was some modification to the document and it was updated after being 'originally posted'

Which, bulletin or advisory, are you referring to, specifically?  I looked at the most recent Flash Player Security Bulletin, Adobe Security Bulletin​, and I don't see a 'last updated' date.  I see a 'last published' date, but not 'last updated'

-

Maria

[lorraineb81406171]

https://helpx.adobe.com/security.html <https://helpx.adobe.com/security.html>

The link above is the page I’m referring to….does the “last updated” heading specifically refer to when my computer was updated? If not, do you know where I can go to see the updates specific to my laptop?

[_maria_]

The 'last updated' column refers to when the document was last updated. 

This page lists Security Bulletins and Advisories for all Adobe products.  It doesn't query your system to find out what products are installed and when the last time a particular product was updated on your system.

If not, do you know where I can go to see the updates specific to my laptop?

The updates specific to your laptop would depend on which products you have installed.  Most installed products are listed in either the Control Panel (Windows) or Applications directory on Mac.  On Windows you can look in the Control Panel list of installed products.  On Mac you can look in the Applications directory.  Both of these have date installed/last modified.

Which Adobe product, specifically, are you inquiring about?

For Flash Player, you can also go to the following:

• Windows: Control Panel\All Control Panel Items > Flash Player > Updates tab
  • If you don't see the Flash Player item in the Control Panel, enter Control Panel\All Control Panel Items in the address field, or change to view by 'small icons'.
• Mac: System Preferences > Flash Player > Updates tab

[lorraineb81406171]

Thank you so much for your timely response! I was specifically inquiring about Flash Player, and I have a Mac so the info you provided, i.e., Mac: System Preferences > Flash Player > Updates tab was the perfect solution! So often I get fooled by various websites to update my flash player and they tend to tack on little “helper tools” which I then have to go back and uninstall. After getting tricked a couple of times, I went to the Apple store and they told me that I can always rely on Adobe to manage all my updates, so when I see those prompts, I can just ignore them. But when I really want to access particular data or information for my educational research, it’s always very tempting to go ahead with the suggested update. What I’d rather be able to do is just quickly double check my system preferences, as you have advised, in order to confirm that my adobe products are up to date.

THANKS!!

[_maria_]

So often I get fooled by various websites to update my flash player and they tend to tack on little “helper tools” which I then have to go back and uninstall

Unfortunately, there are many malicious sites hosting malicious Flash Player installers that do install questionable software (MacUpdate is one of them)  While Adobe does offer optional third party software when installing Flash, it's on Windows systems, not Mac.  The general rule of thumb is to never click on a pop-up notification from a random site.  I know this may sound odd, as one of the update options for Flash Player is to be notified via an Update Notification dialog window, but when in doubt, never click on it.  Always go to the vendor site to download any software.  For Flash Player, it's https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer. 

The best Flash Player update option is to select 'Allow Adobe to install updates (recommended)' in the Flash Player Settings Manager > Updates tab.  With this option selected, Flash Player will be updated within 24 hours of an update being available in the background, with no user interaction required (assuming the system is connected to the internet).  This update option also updates all Flash Player types on the system (e.g. NPAPI for Firefox and PPAPI for Chromium-based browsers).   The 'notify me to install updates' option is the legacy update mechanism and only updates the one player type that made the update check.  This legacy mechanism can also take up to 7 days to notify an update is available.

Flash Player release schedule is the second Tuesday of the month (patch Tuesday), with the next scheduled release being next Tuesday, March 13.  If you've configured your system to install updates automatically, it should update sometime Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest, again, assuming it's connected to the internet allowing the update check to occur.

[lorraineb81406171]

Thanks for the follow-up. I have always set the preference authorizing Adobe to automatically install all updates. If I’m not connected at the time they do the update, will it automatically update whenever I next connect?

[_maria_]

You're welcome.

Yes, if the system is turned off, or not connected, it should attempt at the next available opportunity.  Background Updates also occur if no one is logged in. So if you tend to leave your computer connected, but logged off, it'll still be updated.