- #How do i know if i have adobe flash reader how to#
- #How do i know if i have adobe flash reader update#
- #How do i know if i have adobe flash reader android#
- #How do i know if i have adobe flash reader software#
So unless you know you need Flash for a specific site, it’s best to uninstall it or block it.įor Internet Explorer, follow Microsoft’s instructions for how to turn off or remove add-ons.įor Chrome, see Google’s instructions specifically for disabling Flash Player. It’s the default on both YouTube and Vimeo, for example.
Most websites have switched over to another video format, called HTML 5. (Adobe also dropped support for BlackBerry and Windows Phone.) If you have an iPhone, or any other smartphone bought in the past couple of years, you don’t have Flash.
#How do i know if i have adobe flash reader android#
In 2012, Adobe dropped support for Android, and Flash has been absent since Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), which came out that same year.
#How do i know if i have adobe flash reader software#
Google’s Android mobile software briefly supported Flash, but it was generally choppy and used up more battery than other formats. Apple’s rejection of Flash helped spur Web and software developers to use other technologies for delivering video or animating games. You can visit this page on Adobe’s website to see if the computer you’re using has Flash installed.Ĭhances are good that Flash is not on your smartphone or tablet.Īpple completely banned Flash from its mobile devices running the iOS operating system, such as the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. “I would say probably 97 to 98 percent of systems out there have some version of Flash running on them,” said Cunningham. However, you may have installed or enabled Flash Player if a website prompted you to. Google’s Chrome browser comes with Flash, but it is disabled by default.
#How do i know if i have adobe flash reader update#
The latest version of Mozilla Firefox launched with a block for Flash Player (though after an update Tuesday by Adobe, Mozilla has re-enabled use of the plugin in its browser). Last week, it came out that a company called Hacking Team had been using previously unknown flaws in Flash to create spyware that it sold to oppressive governments in countries such as Sudan and Saudi Arabia. Just this month, Adobe put out security alerts and fixes for 38 vulnerabilities in Flash Player. That’s when you run into exploits.”įlash has long been one of the biggest attack methods of choice for cybercrooks and spying governments, as security vulnerabilities turn up on an almost daily basis. “Anytime a site is able to access your computer’s memory, it’s able to make changes on the local machine itself. The very thing that made Flash so popular - its ability to run complex scripts from websites you visit - can also be used for malicious purposes.Ĭomputer scripts written in Flash can directly access the memory on your computer, which is just inviting attacks, or “exploits,” says Chase Cunningham, a cyberthreat expert at security company FireHost. But now it’s largely obsolete, as most Web sites and apps use different technologies for the same purpose. Flash was born at the dawn of the Web in 1996 and quickly became the standard for Web video, especially after a little startup called YouTube began using it in 2005.
And we’ll tell you how to go about doing exactly that.Īdobe Flash is a software platform that runs video, animation, and games inside of Web pages. We’ll help you figure out why it might be best to banish Flash from your life, just like Google, Mozilla, and Facebook want you to do. Take a deep breath and read our Adobe Flash security threat guide. Whether you know it or not, odds are pretty high that Adobe Flash is on your computer right now, possibly putting your system and your personal information at risk.ĭon’t panic. Even if you don’t exactly know what Adobe Flash is, this is important news.