anyone else getting a TROJAN with their Adobe download??

[pamelam16006799]

I had to call Norton Help desk tonight to get the Trojan "Taplika"off my computer that apparently piggybacked on Adobe Flash download yesterday !  It's the ONLY thing I downloaded in the past week !   It was TERRIBLE and even the tech at Norton had a heck of a time getting it off the registry !!  

Adobe needs to CHECK THEIR downloads site and see if they can FIX THIS !   I had to uninstall all my Adobe files because of it and now I have none and don't know how to get a different reader when all our games and everything requires Adobe !!!

P Miller >  volusiagirl@hotmail.com

[jeromiec83223024]

Sorry to hear that.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake Flash Players distributed on the web.  Flash Player is widely distributed (it's on 98% of computers) so it's a popular target for impersonation -- everyone uses it.  Providing a fake "you need to update Flash" browser pop-up is unfortunately a popular way to trick people into downloading fake software.  Unfortunately, there's not a lot that we can do to control the behavior of bad actors on the Internet.  We can only educate people on how to avoid being tricked.

The binaries distributed directly from Adobe are tightly controlled and scrutinized prior to publication, and constantly monitored for unauthorized changes once they are published.  The reality is that you've either downloaded a fake copy of Flash Player from a malware site, or you've picked up a malware from another vector.

To ensure that you're getting legitimate software, always download directly from the vendor.

In the case of Flash Player, you'll want to download from here:

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer

[Guest]

Taplika is kind of adware or potentially unwanted program that often comes into the PC stealthily and makes modifications on the web browsers. It can deliver lots of pop-up ads and affect the PC performance. Anyway, you need to go to the official websites to download or update Abode. Keep away from those unknown sites which suggest you update this software.

To completely get rid of taplika virus, you can use some security tools like Malwarebytes anti-malware or AdwCleaner, or remove malicious browser add-ons or programs from your PC manually. For example, open Chrome, click the menu icon “≡” at the top right of the browser window, choose “Tools” and choose “Extensions”. In the Extensions tab, uncheck “Enabled” to disable the unwanted extension, or click the trash box next to it to delete it completely.

[pamelam16006799]

Thank you for the info, alas a bit too late. I DID get the virus initially from clicking on the fake update pop up.. BUT having said that, AFTER Norton techs helped me get 99% of it cleared... I DID go to the main Adobe site and tried to download a new update, and GOT THE TROJAN AGAIN ! I typed in the URL myself and it came back full force. I got it out of my registry but it remained in the search bar at the top of my screen, which I deleted everytime I reopened my browser(s). We just ditched the whole computer (yes, it was THAT aggravating!) and bought a new one. It was old anyway and still had WinXP on it... :)We still have it, and might use it as a back up sometime, so your tips will be put to good use very soon.Thanks !

[jeromiec83223024]

Modern malware is extremely resilient, and developed with all the skills and resources of commercial software.  The days of teenagers in basements is long past.

The first infection opens the door for automatic updates that frequently include new malware that isn't currently detected by virus scanners, and the malware authors are testing against all of the software A/V packages before they ship.  So they're a great defense against old things, but you wouldn't be able to convince me to trust a machine again after an infection was found.  In practice, you're better off formatting the disk and starting over.

Some state-sponsored malware is capable of affecting the system BIOS on a computer such that infections persist even after blowing away the OS, but those are fortunately fairly rare, and the modern BIOS architectures provide some measure of defense against those attack vectors.

In short, it's likely that you never really got rid of the infection -- just the part that the virus scanner was capable of detecting.  Malware is mutated automatically and the industry collects hundreds of thousands of new variants daily.  We live in interesting times.  An Internet-based backup service is a good investment these days (some malware encrypts your local disks, including your backup drive if it's attached and ransoms your data back to you), and you should just turn on all the automatic update and patching options that you're offered on the new system.

Good luck!