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While I have experienced trouble with updating Flash Player in the past, this is the first time Webroot Secure Anywhere has identified it as malware/virus.

 

It is undoubtedly something Adobe is doing with their install process with the "free software", as the direct download site installer for Flash Player does not have a problem.

 

You might ask, "What's the problem?  Just continue using the direct download installer."  This won't work for much longer, as Adobe is going to take that site down except for licensed developers.

 

I suppose I can wait and see.  If there really is a problem with Flash Player updates, Webroot will hear about it soon from other users.
Hello and Welcome to the Webroot Community!

 

May I ask where you are trying to update from? Can you please download flash from here: https://community.webroot.com/t5/Security-Industry-News/Adobe-Flash-Player-20-0-0-286/td-p/236841 and you should not have any issues and be sure to uncheck any unwanted add-ons like McAfee Security Scan.

 

Thanks,

 

Daniel 😉
I am using the site Adobe recommends - https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

 

As you said in the linked post, they are taking the direct download site down January 22 (or later, if postponed).

 

The question is not how to resolve the problem by "going around it", but rather what is Webroot doing about the false positive created by Adobe Flash Player's stub loader?
I don't have any issues with your link so maybe you should Submit a Support Ticket and they will look into it for you. Also what OS are you running and for what Browser are you trying to download for? Below I did on Firefox.

 

Thanks,

 

Daniel ;)

 


I am using Pale Moon (latest version) with WinXP SP3.  Pale Moon is a fork of Firefox and uses the same engine.

 

The download process fails midstream, with Pale Moon complaining it can't find the source file.  Webroot has, by that time, changed the tray icon to "exclamation point" warning and has put the file in quarantine.

 

Yes, I will submit a trouble ticket.
@ wrote:

I am using Pale Moon (latest version) with WinXP SP3.  Pale Moon is a fork of Firefox and uses the same engine.

 

The download process fails midstream, with Pale Moon complaining it can't find the source file.  Webroot has, by that time, changed the tray icon to "exclamation point" warning and has put the file in quarantine.

 

Yes, I will submit a trouble ticket.

Yes I know of PaleMoon but still odd WSA has such a detection please let us know what support says!

 

Thanks,

 

Daniel 😉
Hi dmazur

 

To check out what you said I have just tried to download and install the Flash Player using Palemoon as my browser and have managed to do so with no issue at all.  So would agree with Daniel that this is one for the Support Team as something is not right somewhere and it may be localised to your system.

 

Regards, Baldrick
I tried the update again with all Pale Moon add-ons disabled (Safe Mode) without improvement.

 

I also tried it on a second identical computer with an identical configuration but a different pattern of use - identical failure.

 

I anxiously await trouble ticket analysis.  Something changed in the last few weeks, as Flash updated OK until now.
Yes, in the circumstances it is best that yo uawait the investigattion by the Professionals...something is not quite right with your set up.

 

Regards, Baldrick
Disabled Webroot and tried updating Flash Player again.  Success!

 

Enabling Webroot and scanning showed no infected files following the installation, which deleted the temporary stub loader.

 

I'm going to guess that the false positive is related to heuristics.  I'm using "Standard heuristics", but I also have Webroot Infrared enabled.

 

I plan to try this again with WRSA enabled and Webroot Infrared disabled.

 

All evidence points to Adobe writing some low-level code which looks like virus behavior.

 

I really, really wish they would keep the full direct downloads available, but Adobe isn't known for wisdom at all times :) 
Hi dmazur

 

Sounds like you may well be right. But either way gald to hear that you are sorted re. this.

 

Regards, Baldrick
Follow up -

 

Trouble ticket results were initially that the files shown in my log had no signature and could not be identified, and that l should use the official Adobe Flash Player site.

 

Later, I got another email which said they had misunderstood my trouble report (I was using the official Adobe site) and that, yes, it was a false positive caused by a problem with Webroot's heuristic algorithms.  Which they were going to fix.

 

The problem is that Adobe has announced they will be taking down their "direct download page", which was an alternative method for users who encountered trouble with their normal download page.  Both pages were maintained by Adobe.  The only difference being that the direct download page .exe or .msi files omitted the free software offer and provided a generally more reliable install.

 

I appreciate the patience Webroot technical support showed in resolving this.  Hopefully, regardless of heuristic settings, Webroot will not flag Adobe Flash Player updates.

 

 

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