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Apple pushes Adobe Flash update to users due to security flaws
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MacNN Staff
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Apple is trying a different tack in the struggle to keep Macs secure by encouraging users to either disable the Flash browser plug-in outright, or to keep up-to-date with the latest version, which routinely fixes serious security issues found in the multi-platform media player. The latest maneuver by the iPhone maker, which debuted today, is a direct pop-up prompt to update to the latest version when users visit a page that requires Flash Player. The dialogue box takes users directly to Adobe's own page for updating Flash.
Apple has been routinely blocking Flash Player when the current version becomes insecure, as frequently happens. The plug-in is automatically blocked if it hasn't been used in the past 30 days, and is also blocked on older OS X systems and machines that can't update to a secure version (users can manually run the latest version available for their older equipment in "unsafe mode" by manually reactivating it).
Because the plug-in is a multi-platform application and interacts with various system resources, it requires admin-level privileges that work as universally as possible -- leaving open a door for miscreants to write exploits or engineer malicious websites and downloads. Likewise, Oracle's Java has suffered from numerous security flaws for much the same reason.
The latest update has just been issued today, November 20, and thus users who had Flash working normally yesterday may discover that their plug-in is now out-of-date, with a warning that will appear as either "blocked plug-in" or "Flash Security Alert" or "Flash out-of-date" on websites using Flash. Click on the warning will bring up the dialogue box, which will offer the choice of canceling the attempt to use Flash by clicking "OK," or transport the user to the Adobe download page for the latest version.
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Let me predict the future: there will be one more Flash update near the future, and then there's another one right after it. That's all my crystal ball can see. Sorry, guys.
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Senior User
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Flash is a joke. Whenever I have to absolutely use it, I'll open up Chrome for that site. Otherwise, it stays off of my machine.
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Senior User
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: SF
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"The latest maneuver by the iPhone maker,.." is a pretty misleading reference, since it is still not supported on iThingees (to the best of my recollection anyhow...)
in this article's context, "The latest maneuver by the Macintosh maker,.." would be less confusing.
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Ham Sandwich
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Originally Posted by Flying Meat 
"The latest maneuver by the iPhone maker,.." is a pretty misleading reference, since it is still not supported on iThingees (to the best of my recollection anyhow...)
in this article's context, "The latest maneuver by the Macintosh maker,.." would be less confusing.
I also found "by the iPhone maker" really strange, the editor should just say "by Apple."
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Senior User
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Too F'ing Cold, USA
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They aren't "encouraging" you to do anything; they are forcing you to either block or upgrade.
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