List News Background articles Commentaries Development/Java IT Security Computer Guides & Tips

Computer security – Not "Update Flash Player" but "Remove Flash Player"

Added at 04/11/2018 by Frank Hissen

In light of current events, many IT news pages create headlines like "Patch your Flash Player, now!". This happens – again and again – with regularity when a new vulnerability in Adobe Flash gets out or a corresponding security patch or update is published...

HissenIT_Comic01

Likewise, every Internet user should ask herself/himself the question: Do I - still - need Flash at all? Today, most people are aware of the fact that even YouTube runs completely without Flash. There are some old video chat tools but even most online meeting rooms do not require Flash anymore. Their technology is based on HTML5 which is supported by every modern Web browser. Solely some popular online / browser games or special / enterprise applications still require Flash.

If you are not sure if you "really need" Flash or not, you can simply disable it instead of deinstalling it right away. If you discover no problems or limitations with your Internet surfing habits, you can remove Flash Player from your systems. This way, you automatically avoid any security problems with Flash forever!

In case you note problems later, because you do require Flash for some reason, you can always reinstall it. If you do require Flash, it is highly recommended to not activate Flash by default but only when needed! This way malicious web sites cannot call a maybe older or vulnerable Flash plug-in hidden in the background. Using the browser Firefox for instance you can activate Flash for ‘on-demand use’ by setting the option "Ask to activate" in the plug-in settings menu.

By the way: Adobe has announced the end of its support for the Flash Player for the end of 2020. Content providers should migrate to (modern) alternatives. Here you find the original article in the Adobe blog.

About

HissenIT, is a small business company from Germany focusing on IT software development, programming and consulting. Founder and computer scientist Frank Hissen has over 24 years of experience in various positions in IT projects - today offering special services from experience in IT security, web application security and encryption solutions.

Keywords

PC security, Internet security, Computer security, Browser security, IT-Security, IT security

Categories: Commentaries IT Security Computer Guides & Tips


Comments

Post your comment

Share

If you like this page, it would be a great thing if you share it with others:

Mail Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
reddit Digg StumbleUpon XING
WhatsApp Telegram