Adobe brings the latest version of the Flash Player, which is deemed critical for all existing Operating Systems other than Linux. Critical flaws have been reported by security teams and these can be exploited. Users do not have to access malicious or hacked website to be vulnerable for the media player has been known to be buggy.
The latest Adobe update brings bug fixes to a minimum of 13 vulnerabilities in the Flash Player for Mac, Windows, ChromeOS and Linux systems. To Adobe's knowledge, there have been no known exploits in the wild for these 13 security bugs. All Adobe users are still advised to update to version 24.0.0.221 to avoid compromising a vulnerable system.
Flash is a risky app to leave still plugged into the browser. It is often riddled with bugs and powerful enough to bind itself to the browser, KrebsonSecurity reported. It is often the preferred target of malware and attackers. This is why security experts advised that Flash should be regularly updated, hobbled or removed immediately. It may be wise to get rid of the program at once or intensify the security of the system while using Flash.
For those who opt to keep Flash despite the risks, it is highly advisable that an update should be done now. The latest version will be available in the Adobe Flash Player Home Page. However, Windows users using a browser other than Internet Explorer are recommended to download the patch two times. The first download should be with IE and the second one includes all browsers like FireFox, Open and the likes.
Automatic installation of the latest Adobe Flash Player browser restart is actually available in Chrome and IE. However, it may still be wise to manually check for updates or restart the browser in order to fetch the latest update. This is usually how it is done n Chrome by restarting the browser to install and automatically download the newest Flash version.
For Mac users, the Adobe Flash Player update brings critical security patches particularly those who have installed the Flash version 24.0.0.194. Updating should be done immediately through the built-in update mechanism or the Flash Download Center. Users who have "Allow Adobe To Install Updates" should automatically receive the update. When in doubt, it may be wise to manually check by selecting the "About Google Chrome" under the Tools tab and see if the browser is up-to-date, TNHOnline reported.
This critical security patch of the Adobe Flash Player will resolve memory corruption, heap buffer overflow and fix bugs that could result in code execution. These bugs or vulnerabilities have already been discovered and duly reported by security teams from Palo Alto Networks, Trend Micro, Google, and Microsoft. Modern web browsers like FireFox and Chrome actually have plug-ins to protect systems from security issues. In particular, Safari on MacOS Sierra disables Flash by default and users have to enable it from the menu.
