Bye-bye, Flash

January 05, 2021, 02:49 PM

ensigmatic

Bye-bye, Flash

quote:

Bye-bye, Flash
(December 30 & 31, 2020 & January 5, 2021)
Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life status as of January 1, 2021. Windows users have begun receiving alerts from Adobe urging them to uninstall Flash. Adobe will block Flash from running as of January 12, 2021. Chrome 88 and Firefox 85, both scheduled for release this month, will remove support for Flash. Microsoft plans to release an update for Windows 10 that will permanently remove Flash. An optional Windows 10 update, released in October 2020, removes Flash Player that was installed by Windows in Internet Explorer, Edge, and Chrome; users who installed Flash Player manually can remove it using Adobe's uninstall instructions.

Sorry, no URL available. Was in a tech. security newsletter.

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher

January 05, 2021, 03:00 PM

RogueJSK

Yep. Lots of companies and agencies that were behind the times are now scrambling to frantically update stuff to get around needing to use Flash.

Our law enforcement training commission's online training platform was built around Flash-based classes. They're now having to roll out a new system at the very last minute.

January 05, 2021, 03:05 PM

architect

quote:
They're now having to roll out a new system at the very last minute.

Last minute? We've known this was coming for at least five years. About time, if you ask me. Frustrated with the weekly security vulnerability patches, I've been disabling Flash as a routine administrative operation for a couple of years now. Somehow, it keeps creeping back onto systems from which it has been expunged. Time to kill this virus once and for all.

January 05, 2021, 03:11 PM

RogueJSK

quote:
Originally posted by architect:
Last minute? We've known this was coming for at least five years.

As in, the state waited until the very last minute to do anything about it.

Not that Adobe waited until the last minute to tell everyone it was discontinuing Flash.

January 05, 2021, 03:22 PM

ensigmatic

quote:
Originally posted by architect:
Time to kill this virus once and for all.

I would argue way past time. Quite possibly the more horrible POS software ever to infect the computer world.

January 05, 2021, 03:50 PM

gjgalligan

First I heard of it, I have 6 windows based units in my home.

January 05, 2021, 04:17 PM

flashguy

How does one know if Flash is being used? If so, how does one get rid of it?

flashguy (not related to the software)

January 05, 2021, 04:50 PM

tatortodd

quote:
Originally posted by flashguy:
How does one know if Flash is being used? If so, how does one get rid of it?

flashguy (not related to the software)

Go here and check if installed

If you have it, go here and uninstall

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

January 05, 2021, 05:56 PM

Orguss

I remember when HTML 5 was announced six years ago and people said Flash was officially dead. Ah, the memories.

"I'm yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet raised to an alarming extent by Hollywood and Madison Avenue, poised with my cynical and alienated peers to take over the world when you're old and weak!" - Calvin, "Calvin & Hobbes"

January 05, 2021, 06:46 PM

flashguy

quote:
Originally posted by tatortodd:
quote:
Originally posted by flashguy:
How does one know if Flash is being used? If so, how does one get rid of it?

flashguy (not related to the software)
Go here and check if installed

If you have it, go here and uninstall

Thank you. Apparently, I don't have it.

flashguy

January 06, 2021, 08:12 AM

architect

quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by architect:
Time to kill this virus once and for all.

I would argue way past time. Quite possibly the more horrible POS software ever to infect the computer world.

IDK, MS Windows among others could give it some strong competition! Plenty of viable candidates for this "honor!"

January 07, 2021, 03:52 PM

fiasconva

Do you think a later update will just remove it automatically?

January 08, 2021, 06:06 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Orguss:
I remember when HTML 5 was announced six years ago and people said Flash was officially dead. Ah, the memories.

That was Steve Jobs, and he was right. You don't have to worry about Flash on an iPhone because Jobs wouldn't put it on them after HTML5.

January 08, 2021, 08:09 AM

ensigmatic

quote:
Originally posted by rh:
quote:
Originally posted by Orguss:
I remember when HTML 5 was announced six years ago and people said Flash was officially dead. Ah, the memories.

That was Steve Jobs, and he was right. You don't have to worry about Flash on an iPhone because Jobs wouldn't put it on them after HTML5.

Jobs never allowed Flash on iOS period. See: Thoughts on Flash, an open letter by Steve Jobs.

Bottom line:

quote:

He cited the rapid energy consumption, computer crashes, poor performance on mobile devices, abysmal security, ...

All of which was true on every platform upon which Flash ran.

That is why, in deploying new computers at work, one of the things on our checklist was "uninstall Adobe Flash."

January 08, 2021, 10:44 AM

2012BOSS302

quote:
Originally posted by tatortodd:
https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html Go here and check if installed

https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-...-player-windows.html If you have it, go here and uninstall

Thanks, per the first link flash was not enabled. But using the second link, my desktop and laptop still had the files in the Macromed folder and I deleted them as per the instructions (of course not with out objections from windows that I did not have permission to delete them - had to go edit permissions on the folders).