[ALERT] Adobe Flash - The Last Straw?

I got rid of flash last summer. A few things don't work; the only one that really bothers me is Ch 41 TV in Kansas city. If they won't update their site then I don't need to look at their ads, though I do miss their weather videos.

I need Adobe Flash every day for playing various PCH games, seeing some videos, etc. It keeps getting eliminated when I use AOL, and I have to keep reinstalling it. I thought it was Avast that was removing it every few days. If I use Google, I can play the PCH games I need, but it's a pain to not be using AOL, since I use that for everything. I'm hoping they finally figure out a way to protect Flash from the bad guys because I need it.

Hulu requires Flash. Netflix doesn't. Amazon streaming? Bob, I tried removing Flash. Then needed it to watch Hulu+. Due to finances and show availability, I'll be discontinuing Hulu+. Paying to not watch commercials then being switched to shows on channels with commercials is more than I can bear. And CBS charging $10 a month to watch online? The 'Net has mostly become a sales media. This next month, goodbye to Hulu+, Internet Explorer, and Flash.

Hey Bob, I killed Flash, but a number of videos/animations do not work as well. They seem to be much slower.

Is there a viable alternative to Flash?

Many Thanks!

Bob, someone else has raised a similar question to one I have and would appreciate an answer; is Adobe Shockwave Player also considered vulnerable and should also be removed? Thanks for the help!

EDITOR'S NOTE:Adobe Shockwave Player and Flash Player are not the same. Flash Player cannot display Shockwave content, and Shockwave Player cannot display Flash content. Many have asked if Shockwave is similarly vulnerable.

According to security expert Brian Krebs, Shockwave Player "bundles a component of Adobe Flash that is more than 15 months behind on security updates, and which can be used to backdoor virtually any computer running it." So yes, I would advise getting rid of both.

Adobe Flash status is a dilemma.

After reading Bob's article I immediately uninstalled it but since then I have needed it on more than one occasion e.g sending animated e-cards, viewing products on a website that sells outdoor gear).

I may wind up reinstalling Flash and taking my chances !

Thanks for the tip, onedeafeye. I kept wondering how so many people kept saying they didn't need flash on sites where I did - I just changed this setting.

Thanks a lot, Bob. I removed and disabled in Chrome. Any problem with Adobe AIR?

CAUTION: We use Google Drive/Docs for many important business documents, spreadsheets, etc. When we followed the above instructions on one of our computers we discovered we could no longer print anything directly from Google Drive. All we would get was a printout of the jigsaw puzzle piece. There were also a number of minor animations on various websites that also did not work (and clicking on the puzzle icon didn't do a thing).

We reloaded flash onto the computer but it still took a bit of doing to reset the browser settings so things would work again. As we too have never had an issue with problems (supposedly) caused by flash on any of our computers over many years we feel that this is again one of those things you will have to decide for yourself to do. We decided the risk of a "possible" hack was far smaller than the damage the lack of flash would do to our business and personal use and was worth taking.

This reminds me a bit of the taking out of insurance for a "catastrophic" event. Without the insurance you *may* (granted) suffer a loss. But at what overall cost? Was what you paid in premiums worth the return?

Your decision. And remember, "Your mileage may vary."

Sheesh, I removed it, but now I regret it! It is needed for most everything I need to do. I guess even my old HP printer uses it. Now, I get to waste more time trying to figure out how to put it back on. Perhaps, there would have been a better way?

Sorry, but your reply to my posting of 22 April is not relevant. You state that "Your argument is the same as saying I never got the flu shot, and look, no influenza here!" I have, indeed, given my computer a "flu shot". It's called an anti viral program. Your original advice about Flash, is more akin to saying; "Uninstall contact with other people to avoid being infected with the flu." This is not a viable solution. It is merely sidestepping the issue.

What about Adobe Shockwave Player?

Firefox and NoScript plugin works fine

This Is fear mongering of the highest order. Sensationalism for Bob and his site. I find popups like teh ones I disable on your site much more annoying..

For an average user I hardly think this Is worth the worry, and even some online banking requires flash

Sure, the odd person (1 In a billion) may get hacked but In general, hackers go after companies and larger fish like that...not home users.

I wouldnt worry too much about disabling this, and In my 25+ years of computer use, have honestly never been hacked. Just be sensible and dont keep overly sensitive Information on your Internet computer and you should be fine

Dont worry too much. Hackers dont get much of a thrill from hacking home computers unless youve got naked photos on there, and would much rather try hacking NASA or FBI or large companies with sensitive Information

And If something does happen...do a quick reinstall or reinstall a clean backup Image, and like I said, dont keep anything sensitive on teh Internet computer

Cheers

Garbage statement to make that everyone can get by without flash. I know for one some streaming sites in Australia require it....even the ABC which is government run. So quite a bad article in my opinion from a tech expert

I uninstalled it a week ago. Since then, there have been no problems at all as mentioned here. My bank site works. Facebook and games work for me. I have Bejeweled, a version that is more than 5 yrs old. No problems with my browsers. I'm able to watch videos online, HULU, Netflix all work. So far, not a single website has asked for Flash.
Don't know what all the fuss is about. It has had documented problems for a long time. If I find it is crucial, I'll download it again but so far, I won't bother. No point in creating work for myself... or potential expense.

Because I stream video through Hulu and they require flash and I play games like candy crush and those that are similar I don't know how I would do without flash. I have read the comments above and it looks like most of the people who uninstalled it have found these programs to stop working. Only a couple of comments said they had no problems after the uninstall. I'm afraid I need more clarification before I uninstall this program. Also the Firefox plugin has a protected mode built in and that would seem to provide the extra protection needed as long as you leave it on.

I disabled it after reading this article a month or so ago, but from time to time, I have run into problems. Today I was going to listen to Pandora as I have in the past, but it will not play without Flash and I can't find a way around it.

What do we use in place of Adobe Flash on windows ( internet explorer ? And google ? Thank you in advance

Bob, I deleted Flash long ago. There are very, very few times when I get a message that it is required to see a particular news clip, etc. I can easily live without them. I've had no problems with any of my software at all because of not having Flash.

Oh yeah. Once in a while a "Get Flash" page will pop up which I simply ignore but periodically check my installed programs to see if it has somehow been installed behind my back. [Uh...the business of MS installing Windows 10 on folks who didn't want Windows 10 is my rationale.]

seems to me,in January,but not sure where it came from, that adobe was no longer updating flash player {not the word they used}and to delete flash player, maybe their https://labs.adobe.com/downloads/flashplayer.html site which is their beta download site, if not there i don't remember where!