Apple blocks old Flash Player versions

Safari users must update to the latest version of Adobe Flash Player

Flash Player has become one of the most vulnerable applications on the web and unfortunately its bugs are often exploited by hackers with malicious intentions. Therefore, many tech companies have started to avoid using it in order to provide better security for their online users. The number of websites that support flash has been dramatically falling and it appears that everyone is turning to safer browsing solutions.

Firefox first blocked Flash Player by default last year. The numerous vulnerabilities found in older versions caused the famous browser to disable Flash player automatic execution. Another tech giant – Google – is planning to stop the default support of Flash and this is expected to happen by the end of this year.

Last week, Adobe launched Flash Player 22.0.0.192 in order to fix flaws in the application. The patches were needed after the discovery of some active exploits launched against targets in different countries such as Russia, India, South Korea, China, and others.

After these recent patches, Apple have decided to also block older versions of Adobe Flash Player. This was announced in a blog post issued by the company yesterday. In order to continue using the plug-in in Safari, users are prompted to update as soon as possible.

Users that are using an outdated version may see a message like “Blocked plug-in,” “Flash Security Alert,” or “Flash out-of-date” when attempting to view Flash content in Safari.

 

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The Flash update is just one of the measures that Apple is taking in order to protect users from plug-in vulnerabilities. In the newest MAC OS version, which is now available for a preview, the updated Safari browser first tries to load HTML5 on every site that supports it, instead of loading Flash Player content by default. Users, of course, would have the option to manually load it, in case they need to, however, it is highlighted as a less-secure option. If you are using Safari, you can update to the latest Flash version here.


About the author

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Lidia Howler

Lidia is a web content creator with years of experience in the cyber-security sector. She helps readers with articles on malware removal and online security. Her strive for simplicity and well-researched information provides users with easy-to-follow It-related tips and step-by-step tutorials.

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