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Windows 'Snake' Malware Ported to Mac, Imitates Adobe Flash Player Installer
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To all the readers saying why even use flash, unfortunately McGraw-Hill (majority of my classes in my university have books with this textbook publisher) requires flash for homework, viewing lectures, and even viewing the book. This is something we face even when viewing lectures through our university's hosting.
I know you're being facetious but this is a trojan, not a virus. Macs don't get viruses and even Windows rarely gets them today but trojans are a problem with the meat sack sitting between the chair and keyboard and it is important that the meat sack is sufficiently aware that unless the machine is locked down to not install anything that isn't signed (as is the default on Macs anyway) that they have to be cautious about what they install. Mac malware doesn't propagate well due to the defaults so it is barely worth the time for the malware developers to invest in it but we'll keep seeing the odd one come up like this one. Worst piece of malware I've encountered was MacKeeper which my Father-in-Law paid for and installed. That was really nasty.
"Websites require it". You mean "****** websites from the 60s require it"
"Chrome comes with it" but keeps it updated, so no need to install it SYSTEM WIDE.
Modern browsers have native h264 support. Hardware accelerated. YouTube runs very nice without Flash.
Flash is a ****** software that needs to get an EOL.
It's a shame that this awful malware is going to tarnish Flash's stellar reputation on the Mac. 
People still installing Flash?
Many sites still use it. Until they update, many people still use it.
these constant jokes about flash and people who use it still, is ignorance .
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Wow.... just wow.
Flash is something us old farts used in the stone ages.... 60s..... thumbs up mate
My wife installed a fake adobe flash player a few weeks back on her iMac and promply started freaking out when things started popping up that she didn't recognize. I did my best to uninstall everything that had been installed in the last hour, ran malware bytes and otherwise tried to clean things up but who knows if I got it all.
I immediately turned the software gate back on to try to avoid it in the future.
I immediately turned the software gate back on to try to avoid it in the future.
Ummm, you realize that the malware creators could have easily disguised it as any other "legit-looking" established software, right?
Not that I'm defending Flash, which is turd software. But Flash was just a convenient "disguise". The malware makers could have just as easily disguised it as Open Office download. Or even a free demo game from Aspyr Media.
p.s Is that Malwarebytes "anti-viral" thing legit itself? Or does it do more harm to your Mac than good? Not sure what to think of it.
Malwarebytes is legit. They are a trusted name in the Windows anti-malware game, and recently started supporting macOS.
Can't you use Chrome since it has Flash built in but secured via sandboxing?
I would imagine that Apple will have this blocked by sundown.
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PEBKAC.
When macOS puts up that "This was downloaded from the internet..." Warning, but you ignore it, AND when MacOS has default GateKeeper settings that won't even ALLOW installation of stuff that isn't from the Mac App Store, but you Defeat it, then no amount of "AI" is going to save you, sorry!
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They sort of have. But unlike MS, they respect their users, and expect them to have brains, so they let them circumvent those measures in macOS.
And I prefer it that way.
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Depending on how the malware was written, anywhere from a "complete rewrite", to "switching some compiler options", and anywhere in-between.
Apple will assign Developers who ask a FREE signing certificate. All they have to have is information like a Credit Card to link it to (so they are "traceable").
Pick a different site. They almost all use HTML 5 now.
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I prefer the term "Ugly bag of mostly water", thank you!
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Not that I'm an MS fan (quite the opposite!); but there's one thing that Windows has that macOS doesn't (well not in the same way). "System Restore Points".
With "System Restore", if the malware isn't TOO nasty, you can "roll-back" a Trojan install and quite possibly un-infect your Windows machine.
And yes, I know that Time Machine can provide a similar function for our Macs.