Solved What is the latest news regarding Adobe Flash?

[AnneBurns]

Hello.

I just saw an article on Google regarding the closing of Adobe Flash.

Could it be the end of the road for Adobe Flash? Find out about the security risks and what to do

Anne

 

[Brds7t7]

Hello.

I just saw an article on Google regarding the closing of Adobe Flash.

Could it be the end of the road for Adobe Flash? Find out about the security risks and what to do

Anne

Hi Anne, what is it you want to know exactly?

Adobe Flash has been a security nightmare for years.
I have actually removed it from my pc, along with Java. I use Google Chrome which comes with it's own flash plugin which I have set to "on demand" so sites with flash videos won't play automatically. But if I ever use IE (which is rare nowadays) it doesn't have the flash plugin.

A lot of sites are switching to HTML5 now. It will take a few years but flash really does need to be killed.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Unfortunately, Flash will be around for years to come :-(

Some things can only be done in Flash.

 

[AnneBurns]

Unfortunately, Flash will be around for years to come :-(

Some things can only be done in Flash.

Right, Uni's, can you give me some examples of things that can only be done in Flash (at least for now?).

Anne '-D

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
You never know for sure until you remove the retched utility

Mostly old websites require it mostly for adds
Skype's website used to say you need flash but now does not generate a popup to install it.

 

[UsernameIssues]

AnneBurns,
Most of the computer based training that I take requires Flash. One course that I recently completed had a non-flash version and it looked horrible. Info was presented in square tiles on a grid (much like Windows 8 panels). After course completion, there was a place for feedback. I asked if the new look was following Windows 8's layout. The reply was, "No, we are not attempting to look like Windows 8 - but some styles can only be done in Flash". Perhaps that statement is true only for the tool(s) being used to produce this material.


However, since you asked - I decided to see if I could find any specific functions that can only be done in Flash (if one could pick any set of media creation tools). All that I could find were statements like, it is easier to produce intense animations with Flash. And apps that add the user's microphone/audio to existing video are best created with Flash (e.g. Karaoke apps). I have no experience with media creation tools, so I cannot judge the validity of those generic claims.

Here is an old article that I came across in my search for examples. Can other media creation tools "use video on a 3D plane"?

 

[AnneBurns]

AnneBurns,
Most of the computer based training that I take requires Flash. One course that I recently completed had a non-flash version and it looked horrible. Info was presented in square tiles on a grid (much like Windows 8 panels). After course completion, there was a place for feedback. I asked if the new look was following Windows 8's layout. The reply was, "No, we are not attempting to look like Windows 8 - but some styles can only be done in Flash". Perhaps that statement is true only for the tool(s) being used to produce this material.


However, since you asked - I decided to see if I could find any specific functions that can only be done in Flash (if one could pick any set of media creation tools). All that I could find were statements like, it is easier to produce intense animations with Flash. And apps that add the user's microphone/audio to existing video are best created with Flash (e.g. Karaoke apps). I have no experience with media creation tools, so I cannot judge the validity of those generic claims.

Here is an old article that I came across in my search for examples. Can other media creation tools "use video on a 3D plane"?

Wow! That was some great info. I think I will keep Flash because if it isn't broke, don't fix it. I enjoyed watching both videos. It was a wonder to me how far technology has come. Btw, how do I give credit for folks answering my questions? Thanks UI!!!

 

[Layback Bear]

Upper right corner of their post you will see 3 pictures. The middle one (scale) is the one you need.

Just hover over it with the cursor and it will tell you the information.
Tick on it and your on your way.

 

[Alejandro85]

I'll add a few more Flash "must haves".
Online browser gaming is the reign of Flash, and to a lesser extent, Unity, with a few titles served by Java too. Pretty much every website out there that features in-browser gaming uses Flash for the game itself, specially when real-time multiplayer is involved.
Video chat or anything involving camera/microphone is also frequently used in Flash too.
Heavy multimedia, animation, sound and the like is also often implemented in Flash. Not that it cannot be done without it, but it's typically easier and more reliable to do in Flash rather pure HTML.
Playing videos is more often than not done in Flash too (yes, YouTube can use HTML5, but most of the other 100,000 sites out there with embedded videos don't).

Speaking of that, HTML5 is still in its infancy. Browsers have still problems in getting it properly implemented, and some have different behavior. Cross-browser compatibility suffers as a result, making it further difficult for a web developer to get a working site with advanced features in plain HTML. Flash on the other hand is a mature thing, and differences between versions are minimal, which simplifies development.

Unless you stick with a very limited set of websites and never search out for more or something different, its unlikely right now that a "Flash-less" world would be feasible. HTML5 is certainly a worthy successor, but until it becomes strong enough to address everything Flash does with the same reliability it has, Flash will be here for a few more years, at least.

 

[AnneBurns]

Thank you to everyone who gave me both cons and pros regarding continued use of Adobe Flash. Case closed!

 

[UsernameIssues]

~~~
Wow! That was some great info. I think I will keep Flash because if it isn't broke, don't fix it. I enjoyed watching both videos. It was a wonder to me how far technology has come. Btw, how do I give credit for folks answering my questions? Thanks UI!!!

You are welcome.

Thanks for the rep.

You might be interested in this post:
http://www.sevenforums.com/security-news/384311-malvertising-new-silent-killer.html

I don't have the Flash add-on installed for IE. I don't have the Flash plug-in installed for Pale Moon. If I need to see Flash content, I paste the URL into Chrome (which has Pepper Flash built in). This limits my exposure to Flash based exploits because I'm not doing most of my surfing with a Flash enabled browser.

Also, Chrome updates itself and its Flash silently - without needing admin rights or user involvement. That comes in handy for the dozens of computers that I oversee at work - where the user is not an admin.

 

[FerchogtX]

Speaking of that, HTML5 is still in its infancy. Browsers have still problems in getting it properly implemented, and some have different behavior. Cross-browser compatibility suffers as a result, making it further difficult for a web developer to get a working site with advanced features in plain HTML. Flash on the other hand is a mature thing, and differences between versions are minimal, which simplifies development.

Cross-browser compatibility, broken of course by Google and their stupid VP9 standard for HTM5 videos (H264 is faster) just to save bandwidth...
Now, being serious, yeah, this is still in diapers, I mean, it's impossible that video cards capable of decoding H264 are blacklisted by Chrome or Firefox, and of course, it's more ridiculous that this is the only solution to fix their problems with HTML5 playback, in hopes you buy another card/laptop... I just wonder why programmers are so lazy this days, specially talking about browsers (again).

I mean, I can decode a full HD 60fps video locally, even with VLC (that may exhibit some problems unless you configure it to use OpenGL, which is faster than DirectX) and Firefox just derps with it, simply by setting the flag to "You can't decode because my detection routines don't work properly and I'm lazy as **** to fix it, ah! almost forgot, I force down your throat Ciscos's plugin for H264, which clearly demonstrates is way too slow for this, and gives problems with decoding detection, so your CPU will suffer the consequences, just instead of making t optional for people that can't decode anything to save their lives - same for me, Google Chrome"... Yeah, latest Nighly build seem to fix many issues, but not all, and things go on...

The ony thing Flash seems to not allow is 60 fps playback (which is a shame), but most of the times is way more stable than HTML5... And it's just because of lazyness...

So yeah, Flash is to stay at least a couple of years more, until browsers can do something decent with HTML5 multimedia handling...

 

[DavidE]

I don't have the Flash add-on installed for IE. I don't have the Flash plug-in installed for Pale Moon. If I need to see Flash content, I paste the URL into Chrome (which has Pepper Flash built in). This limits my exposure to Flash based exploits because I'm not doing most of my surfing with a Flash enabled browser.

I use Pale Moon and have the Flash Plugin set to Ask to Activate
I have the Click to Play per-element extension.

My understanding is this prevents all Flash from auto playing, and I can choose if/what/when flash content plays.

I would prefer not to install another (Chrome) browser just to play flash content when i want to.
I'm just a home user, i don't oversee other work PC's.

If my setup is less secure than using a browser with built-in flash, maybe i should re-think it ?

 

[UsernameIssues]

Thank you to everyone who gave me both cons and pros regarding continued use of Adobe Flash. Case closed!

Sorry, I did not see your "case closed!" statement before I made post #11. As you can see, you have a topic that interests many members. If you wish, you can unsubscribe to the topic so that you don't get an e-mail* each time someone continues to post to this thread. To unsubscribe, look for and click on the link near the top of the page:


*assumes that your forum settings sends you e-mails.

I don't have the Flash add-on installed for IE. I don't have the Flash plug-in installed for Pale Moon. If I need to see Flash content, I paste the URL into Chrome (which has Pepper Flash built in). This limits my exposure to Flash based exploits because I'm not doing most of my surfing with a Flash enabled browser.

I use Pale Moon and have the Flash Plugin set to Ask to Activate
I have the Click to Play per-element extension.

My understanding is this prevents all Flash from auto playing, and I can choose if/what/when flash content plays.

I would prefer not to install another (Chrome) browser just to play flash content when i want to.
I'm just a home user, i don't oversee other work PC's.

If my setup is less secure than using a browser with built-in flash, maybe i should re-think it ?

As far as I know, the Flash content must play** in order for exploits to work.
Your setup should be safe...
...if Flash is kept up to date
...if there are no exploits in the wild for the Click to Play per-element extension.

**Flash objects can "play" without any visible motion for the user to see. The Flash object could be made to look like the screenshot below while "playing". That looks like a Flash object that has not been clicked on and is not playing.




I'm not certain if Flash exploits have to also be coupled with a browser exploit in order to do damage. If the browser plays a role, then Chrome and IE might be safer than Pale Moon and Firefox simply by virtue of the integrity level that the browsers run at***. With the UAC turned on, IE and Chrome use a parent process at the medium integrity level. Their children processes (the ones that render websites) are run at lower integrity levels (lower is better/safer). Pale Moon and Firefox only use one instance and that instance runs at the medium integrity level. However, my thinking might be flawed. Perhaps privileged execution exploits can elevate a low integrity level process to the high integrity level with the same ease that a medium integrity level process can be raised to the high integrity level.


***as you can see, I rebel against the notion that one should not end a sentence in a preposition.

 

[AnneBurns]

No worries about this thread being continued. My query has unleashed some great feedback. I think the most important thing to remember, if you choose to keep Flash, is to make sure it has the latest updates. I make it a point to do that.

 

[DavidE]

No worries about this thread being continued. My query has unleashed some great feedback. I think the most important thing to remember, if you choose to keep Flash, is to make sure it has the latest updates. I make it a point to do that.

I agree and keep Flash updated.
I subscribe to the "latest version of" thread so i soon get an email notification whenever a new version is available.
That way I don't have to manually periodically check for Flash updates.
Subscribe to this thread and you can keep informed of Flash changes via SF email:
http://www.sevenforums.com/browsers-mail/311-latest-version-adobe-flash-player.html

 

[UsernameIssues]

The latest, most up to date version of Flash will most likely be flawed. Researchers have worked their way into various forums where exploits are sold and it seems that there is a list of exploits that are doled out after other exploits get patched. Having an exploit patched is good news for those that sell exploits. It just brings them more business.

It takes less than 24 hours from the time that an exploit is sold (or given away) to the time that it can show up in the wild. It takes a lot longer than that for Adobe to create a patch and then get all computers updated. There are members of this forum that have decided that there is no Flash content worth the risk. They don't have Flash installed/enabled for any browser.

I'm visiting this forum via Pale Moon, but I have Chrome streaming Flash video content in another window. I use Chrome/Flash every day, but I try to use it in ways that help prevent attacks. For example, I like a few streams on ustream.tv. Rather than bookmark and visit a particular channel, I bookmark the info needed to only play the stream of interest, not the potentially dangerous stuff around the stream.

What most people bookmark:

http://www.ustream.tv/nasahdtv

What is safer to bookmark:

http://www.ustream.tv/embed/6540154

What I actually bookmark:

http://www.ustream.tv/embed/6540154?wmode=opaque&autoplay=true&volume=0&quality=best

Subsequent visits to those bookmarked streams are less dangerous than visiting the entire webpage.


What are the odds...
...that you will encounter a website that is delivering infected adverts? I can't answer that. Yahoo.com (and 22 other reputable websites) infected lots of visitors with CryptoWall 2.0 late in 2014. The bad guys had taken over some of the servers that deliver adverts. Those servers then infected ads. Yahoo delivered ads from servers that they did not own/control. Most websites do that too.

Depressing - ain't it.

 

[DavidE]

Depressing - ain't it.

Yes

 

[AnneBurns]

It seems to me that no matter what we do, there will always be a risk factor to consider. All a person can do is be mindful of what you click on, keep a 'clean machine', clear your cache including temporary files and such, have decent anti mal and viral protection, and go to a forum to get software to occasionally really clean house.