Is installing flash plugin safe for OS X?

Comments

• Reply 1 of 4

  cnocbui Posts: 3,613member

  January 31, 2016 2:19PM

  The Flash installer adds a Flash related item to the Control panel.  It would need the admin authorisation to do this.  I imagine there are other reasons it would need it as well.
  
  Adobe is one of the worlds largest software creators.  They are not a Russian mafia crook or ISIS recruiter.  Apple wouldn't have their apps in the app store if they didn't trust them so installing Flash and allowing it Admin rights to do that is not a problem.
  
  Flash does have a very bad reputation as being a vector for attacks, however, Adobe seem to be very quick to patch it, sometimes several times a week.  If you install Flash it will have to updated frequently, but you can allow it to do this automatically.
  
  I have Flash installed and have had it for as long as it has been in existence.  I have never suffered from malware or an attack, that I know of.  While a lot of people think you shouldn't ever install or use it, there are just so many websites that use it that I want to use that I don't know how people can do without.
  
  So yes, in my experience it is safe.
  

  edited January 2016
• Reply 2 of 4

  apple iigs Posts: 38member

  January 31, 2016 2:32PM

  cnocbui said:

  The Flash installer adds a Flash related item to the Control panel.  It would need the admin authorisation to do this.  I imagine there are other reasons it would need it as well.
  
  Adobe is one of the worlds largest software creators.  They are not a Russian mafia crook or ISIS recruiter.  Apple wouldn't have their apps in the app store if they didn't trust them so installing Flash and allowing it Admin rights to do that is not a problem.
  
  Flash does have a very bad reputation as being a vector for attacks, however, Adobe seem to be very quick to patch it, sometimes several times a week.  If you install Flash it will have to updated frequently, but you can allow it to do this automatically.
  
  I have Flash installed and have had it for as long as it has been in existence.  I have never suffered from malware or an attack, that I know of.  While a lot of people think you shouldn't ever install or use it, there are just so many websites that use it that I want to use that I don't know how people can do without.
  
  So yes, in my experience it is safe.
  

  Than you for that quick reply. 
  
  Years ago I was very careless with what I installed on my computer. I've never really encountered any problems with malware or viruses at all. However with my last mac towards the end I believe I might have encountered a virus of some sort. I was at the time downloading a lot of youtube videos and I believe I may have infected my old  2006 Macbook pro which by the way was on its way out for various other reasons. I remember towards the end of that macs life I was noticing significant slowdown with quicktime to the point it quicktime was unusable.
  
  Well now I am back with my first mac and first computer since 2010. I am very excited to have a fast working mac and the ram and ssd really make it a great little system.
  
  This time around I am trying to be extra careful about what I put on this mini.
  
  Thanks for the help
• Reply 3 of 4

  cnocbui Posts: 3,613member

  January 31, 2016 2:42PM

  apple iigs said:

  cnocbui said:

  
  

  Than you for that quick reply. 
  
  Years ago I was very careless with what I installed on my computer. I've never really encountered any problems with malware or viruses at all. However with my last mac towards the end I believe I might have encountered a virus of some sort. I was at the time downloading a lot of youtube videos and I believe I may have infected my old  2006 Macbook pro which by the way was on its way out for various other reasons. I remember towards the end of that macs life I was noticing significant slowdown with quicktime to the point it quicktime was unusable.
  
  Well now I am back with my first mac and first computer since 2010. I am very excited to have a fast working mac and the ram and ssd really make it a great little system.
  
  This time around I am trying to be extra careful about what I put on this mini.
  
  Thanks for the help

  You're welcome.
  
  OSX will fall to it's knees if the free HD space gets much below 10 GB.  Despite claims to the contrary, you seem to need to reboot OSX every now and then for it to be able to realise HD space from deleted files is actually there.  I very much doubt you got an infection from downloading youtube videos.  If you filled up your HD by doing so, that might have done it.  OSX is pretty secure.  The main thing you have to watch out for is installing apps that require your admin password that aren't from the App store or from a reputable source.  Also any website asking to install something should be treated with extreme suspicion and denied permission.
  

  edited January 2016
• Reply 4 of 4

  mr. me Posts: 3,221member

  January 31, 2016 4:47PM

  Another thing to take into account is that when a critical flaw is identified in Flash, it is disabled until you update to a new secure version.