One method that viruses and malware use to trick users is by displaying fake update alerts on webpages. There is a good chance that at some point you have seen a popup that reads “Flash Player Needs Updated” or “Your Java is Out of Date”. On most occasions, these are attempts to get you to download malicious software.
Here are a few tips for avoiding this:
- Flash and Java update alerts do not come from websites. They are independent and will never be in a browser tab.
- Check the address bar for authenticity. Look for adobe.com, oracle.com, or java.com See the image below for an example. If it looks suspicious, close the tab.
- “Driver Update”, “Registry Fix”, “PC Optimizer”, and other key words are just to scare you into thinking you need their software. You don’t.
- When in doubt, click the red X.
- And of course, if you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call at 402-261-0851

You can check to see if you have the latest version of Flash and Java by clicking on their respective logos on our Virus Removal page.