adobe flash

Microsoft will block Adobe Flash in its web browsers from the end of the year. It's the last major browser developer to drop the technology. While Adobe Flash was once the primary tool used for multimedia content on websites, it earned a poor ... reputation for security. It wasn't just that it had numerous security holes, but that when those holes were exploited, hackers were often able to access a computer's memory and gain a worrying level of control just by using a web browser. Steve Jobs a Noted Flash Hater Apple was arguably the first company to crack down on Adobe Flash content with Steve ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Gina V. writes: " Dear Dennis, I watch a lot of sermons from my church online, but since around October this year I keep getting 'An unanticipated problem was encountered, check back soon and try again. Error code: ... MEDIA_ERR_UNKNOWN' I don't understand what this means. I have searched Google and it seems a lot of people have the MEDIA_ERR_UNKNOWN Chrome error message when playing videos in the web browser. I also have a MEDIA_ERR_UNKNOWN Firefox error. I'm not sure what to do next. Can you please help? " My response: Generally speaking, the 'MEDIA_ERR_UNKNOWN' is a generic ... (view more)

Google has taken yet another step to try to kill off Adobe Flash. The move will dramatically reduce the visibility of Flash content in its search results. Adobe Flash was once innovative and the primary way for delivering animated and interactive ... content online, including online-based browser games and even advertisements. Even so, many web designers seemed more interested in showing off their creativity with Flash rather than making a usable and useful site. Adobe Flash Security Bugs Severe As far back as 2010, Apple made the decision to ditch Flash entirely from its devices - a move that ... (view more)

Microsoft has changed its mind about phasing out support for Adobe Flash, which is used to help web browsers view multimedia. Both Internet Explorer and the current edition of Edge browsers will continue to support the technology by default until ... the end of 2020, in contrast to other browsers. Adobe says it's ditching Flash at the end of next year, largely because it's become redundant with website designers now preferring to create multimedia and interactive elements in HTML 5, rather than with Flash. HTML 5 works in modern browsers without the need for plug-ins like Flash. Chrome and ... (view more)

Hackers are now far more likely to target Microsoft Office than web browsers according to a security firm. Kaspersky Labs says the big problem is that fixing some of the most common MS Office flaws would cause serious compatibility problems. The ... figures are based on the number of users affected, rather than the sheer volume of attacks. That's arguably more informative as it doesn't treat all attacks as equally significant. Kaspersky compared the last three months of 2018 with the same period in 2016 and found a dramatic difference in just two years. Browsers and Flash Less of a Problem In the ... (view more)

According to a recent report, Microsoft products made up eight of the ten most exploited software bugs last year according to a security company. That's higher than in recent years, largely because Adobe Flash is becoming a less rewarding target for ... hackers as it loses popularity. As recently as 2015, most of the top ten involved bugs with Flash. Microsoft took the unwanted lead in 2017 with seven entries on the list. (Source: bleepingcomputer.com ) Internet Explorer Tops The List The top spot for 2018 went to a bug in the Windows VBScript engine . That's a tool that handles code designed for ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam R. writes: " Dear Dennis, Is there an alternative to Adobe Flash? I just read John Lister's article ' Flash Blocked in Firefox over Security Risk ,' and I'm concerned that Flash might download a virus onto my system. I'm also ... concerned that Flash is a major CPU hog which slows down my system. If there is no alternative to Flash, and I block Flash entirely, how can I watch YouTube videos? " My response: Unfortunately there is currently no alternative to Flash on Windows systems that allows you to play Flash content (that I am aware of). There are, however a few ... (view more)

Mozilla has blocked Adobe Flash from running by default in the Firefox browser, citing security concerns. Meanwhile, Facebook's security chief has called for Adobe Flash to be killed off permanently. Adobe Flash is widely used for both videos and ... animations, including ones which play automatically on a website. The technology has fallen from favor over the years, however, thanks to problems with both performance and security. It's a popular target for malware creators as it is so widely used by users, regardless of their operating system or browser. A big part of the decline came when ... (view more)