A recent update to the Adobe Flash Player has been causing something of a stir amongst tecchies everywhere.
The popular player, used by thousands of websites daily, has issued a security update which will be available for Windows, Mac and Linux, which it claims will provide additional protection on a vulnerability fixed by Adobe earlier this year.
It’s an integral update which will doubtless be needed by people who access all areas of the internet, from lunchtime visits to YouTube to sites powered by Playtech, which relies on the technology to run a number of its gaming networks. The update was essential due to the previous security risks posed – for example, there were 18 known security vulnerbalities, 15 of which could be used to run an arbitrary code which could potentially disclose a user’s session tokens or permit an attacker to raise their ‘privileges’ within Adobe Flash Player.
While Adobe may be facing some competition from the newly-established HTML5, it is nevertheless refreshing to both website hosts and visitors to have a newly secured plug in. But it’s one thing to worry about the security of Flash – how can it be used to its full potential in each browser?
Chrome
One of the newest browsers around, Google Chrome prides itself on its usability and as such offers one of the easiest install options out there.
First off, begin by typing chrome://plugins into the address bar. Next, click on Details and move to the Flash Section. (If you see multiple versions of Flash here, disable the Pepper version by clicking Disable.) Then restart your browser and you should be equipped with the Flash Player, complete with its security updates.
Firefox
Mozilla have recently announced their parting of ways with Google, and as a result have a very different layout from the aforementioned Chrome. This one is slightly trickier – you have to find your way to a page which will use Flash, though Adobe’s test page is recommended for this.
Once that’s over though, here’s the easy part: you will be prompted by a reminder offering you the chance to download the latest update of Flash, et voila: the player is yours.
Safari
Apt for Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad, Safari is a lesser-used browser but even so, still requires the video-playing capabilities of Flash. Safari itself doesn’t offer any specific settings for Flash unlike Google, however you can take yourself through the manual process by heading to the Flash download page.
With security updates and the ability to work in most browsers, there really is no end to Flash’s potential.
