Mozilla Blocks All Versions of Adobe Flash by Default as Security Vulnerabilities Found

Yesterday, Alex Stamos, the new security officer at Facebook has tweeted about Adobe to announce the end-of-life date for Flash software and its plugin for browsers. He made that statement with a very strong base of software vulnerabilities that were found in recent times with Adobe Flash software.

It is time for Adobe to announce the end-of-life date for Flash and to ask the browsers to set killbits on the same day.

— Alex Stamos (@alexstamos) July 12, 2015

Later today, Mark Schmidt, the head of Firefox support team has also tweeted about the Flash’s security vulnerabilities in their browser. He says that the Firefox browser now blocks all the Adobe flash related software plugins by default.

BIG NEWS!! All versions of Flash are blocked by default in Firefox as of now. https://t.co/4SjVoqKPrR #tech #infosec pic.twitter.com/VRws3L0CBW

— Mark Schmidt (@MarkSchmidty) July 14, 2015

It is recommended to check updates to the Firefox plugins for safety. As per the add-ons blockage news, All users who have the Flash player of version 18.0.0.203(click-to-play) are affected.

We have seen Mozilla Firefox blocking vulnerable plugins like Java and others to make sure of the security of the user in the past. The blocking of Flash somehow smells fishy and it may not be temporary unless Adobe patches those serious security holes.

What is happening with Adobe Flash actually?

Adobe Flash plugin can be hacked and unnecessary pop-ups and flash animations can be run on the victim's browser to distract or to bait a click that can snatch the browser or personal data to the hacker.

It also affects your Firefox browser’s stability, user experience and performance causing frequent crashes and downloading of unwanted malware directly on to the user’s computer.

What to do?

Stay tuned to software updates from both the vendors. Both the browser and plugin are to be updated in this scenario to mitigate risks and fill the security holes.

Out of the box, keep the virus definitions updated in your anti-virus software that is installed on your computer.

Contact the Mozilla support team in order to keep track of updated information about the issue(s).

Do you think that the flash should be stopped using forever? Share your thoughts in comments below.