[NewsPoster]

Apple has updated the plugin-blocking component in Safari to prevent earlier versions of Flash from being used, a new support document states. Lion, Mountain Lion, and Snow Leopard users are affected. The update comes in response to recently-discovered vulnerabilities in Flash that have already been patched by Adobe, but which could impact people who don't update on a regular basis.

As a rule, Apple has taken a more aggressive stance on security problems in recent years. Java is no longer included in OS X by default, and since Snow Leopard the OS has included a malware protection component which Apple can update remotely to block new threats. The company has had to take a slower approach with iOS, since fixing any problems with the firmware requires a new point release.

[Makosuke]

This block triggered on my Mountain Lion system, except I'm running the latest non-beta (11.6.602.171) Flash, so there's nothing to update to. I'm not exactly a Flash fan, but it breaks non-HTML5'd YouTube videos, which is kind of annoying. Wonder if ClickToFlash confused it...

[Grendelmon]

I understand Apple's philosophy, but I *really* don't need them to be my mommy when it comes to surfing the web.