Adobe Flash Player has had its heydays as free software used to execute rich internet applications, stream videos and view multimedia, among others. Since its initial release in 1996, this plug-in used to be an icon when it came to watching videos, including YouTube videos and running millions of games. However, in the recent years, this web application’s charisma slowly dwindled. This is due to security vulnerabilities.
The flaws and issues found in the software are also behind the regular updates of Adobe Flash Player, with the latest rolled out last May 9th. Since hackers have taken advantage of the “weakness” of the Flash in terms of security, they were able to take over the computer systems of unsuspecting users.
Vulnerability Issues
One of the issues is a use-after-free vulnerability that is prone to code execution (CVE-2017-3071). Moreover, memory corruption vulnerabilities that pose the same threat will be resolved by these updates.
The latest security updates released were for several platforms. These include Macintosh, Linux, Chrome OS and Windows. According to the team, these vulnerabilities affected Adobe Flash Player Desktop Runtime Windows and Linux versions 25.0.0.148 and earlier as well as versions 25.0.0.163 and earlier for Macintosh. Other platforms that were not secure from malware attacks were Adobe Flash Player for Google for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Chrome OS versions 25.0.0.148 and earlier while for Adobe Flash Player for Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11 versions 25.0.0.148 and earlier for Windows 8.1 and 10.
Adobe was quick to resolve these issues by releasing updates and recommending users to immediately download the latest versions. For users of Adobe Flash Player Desktop Runtime for Windows and Macintosh, version 25.0.0.171, they can download this from the Adobe Flash Player Download Center. Conversely, the same version of Adobe Flash Player for Google Chrome for platforms Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Chrome OS, the Flash is automatically updated. This is due to the regular Google Chrome releases which include Adobe Flash Player.
As for the latest version 25.0.0.171 Adobe Flash Player for Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge running on Windows 8.1 and 10 platforms, automatic updates from Microsoft also includes updating Flash Player.
Meanwhile, if you encounter problems with the Flash while using Internet Explorer, an Adobe Flash Player Update Reinstall in Windows PCs will solve the issue.