Skip to content
  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Malware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jan 2018

How to remove “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” scam

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

“Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” – fake alert that might show up on the browser after adware infiltration

Screenshot of "Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found" scam

“Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” is a pop-up that alerts about missing Flash Player[1] that is required for displaying content on the particular website. However, this notification is not legit and tricks users into installing unknown and potentially dangerous software on the computer.

Users are usually redirected to “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” scam website once adware sneaks inside the computer. This potentially unwanted program (PUP) might arrive on the system together with freeware or shareware. Then it makes modifications to the system and web browser and starts annoying activities.

The purpose of “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” virus is to trick users into installing fake Adobe Flash Player update. When users end up on a compromised website, they receive a pop-up saying:

Adobe Flash Player 28.0.0.126 was not found

The web page you are trying to load is displayed incorrectly, as it uses the “Adobe Flash Player 28.0.0.126”. To fix the error and display the next you have to update the “Adobe Flash Player”.

Manufacturer: Adobe Systems Software Ireland Ltd
Current Version: Adobe Flash Player 26.3.3.500
Latest version: Adobe Flash Player 28.0.0.126

Unfortunately, credentials make this notification look legitimate. However, users should be aware that software updates are not delivered in this form. Thus, you have to ignore “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” and do not download anything from such site.

However, the scam seems similar to “The HoeflerText font wasn’t found” ads, “The Mercury Text Font Was Not Found” virus and similar cyber threats that were trying to trick users into installing fake updates. In this way, criminals trying to make people installing malware, ransomware[2] or data-stealing trojans to the system.

If you are continuously redirected to this website, you should check the system for the adware. The quickest way to do it is to obtain anti-malware software and scan the device. Tools like FortectIntego will remove “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” malware within a couple of minutes.

However, you can also scroll down to the end of the article where you can find manual “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” removal instructions. But we want to remind that it might not be easy to locate all adware-related components.

Illustration of "Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found" scam

Paying attention to software installation can help to avoid adware hijack

“Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” pop-ups seem to appear out of nowhere. However, they are triggered by adware program which usually arrived on the system bundled with freeware or shareware. PUPs are often attached as optional components to various free programs you can download from the Internet.

The hijack occurs when users rely on Quick/Recommended installers that do not openly disclose about third-party software that is offered to download together. However, using these settings users give indirect permission for PUPs to get on your PC.

For this reason, you have to use Custom/Advanced settings that allows seeing all “optional downloads” and reject their installation by unmarking pre-selected entries. Security specialists from
virusler.info.tr[3] also remind to read Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and other documents provided by the developers in order to be certain that any unwanted apps will not be installed too.

Stopping redirects to “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” scam website

If you are frequently being redirected to scam website, you have to remove “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” adware from your computer. We highly recommend using anti-malware software for this task. However, you can do it manually too.

You can find manual “Adobe Flash Player Was Not Found” removal guide below. Please follow them carefully. If you leave some adware-related apps, extensions or files, these annoying alerts will come back to your Chrome, Firefox, Explorer or another web browser you use.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.

Reset Google Chrome:

If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

Did this guide help?

Be the first to comment

Spyware News
Privacy preferences

We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze traffic. Some cookies enable embedded content like videos and social posts. Choose what you allow — you can change this anytime.