Adobe has released an update for its popular Adobe Flash Player software, which fixes a total of 11 critical vulnerabilities in the program. It would be wise to upgrade immediately as most of the vulnerabilities it fixes could potentially allow hackers to remotely execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.
All versions running on Windows and Mac OSX operating systems before the latest version 17.0.0.134 of Flash Player are affected and considered insecure. The Adobe Flash Player installed in Google Chrome, in Internet Explorer 10 and 11 for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, should be automatically updated to the latest version 17.0.0.134.
Additionally, Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.442 for Linux and Flash Player Extended Support version 13.0.0.269 for Windows and Mac OS X are also affected by the vulnerabilities. So, users of Flash Player for Linux should upgrade their machine to version 11.2.202.451, and those running Flash Player Extended Support on Windows and Mac are recommended to upgrade to version 13.0.0.277.
Most of the vulnerabilities fixed in this new Adobe Flash Player have been reported by security researchers from Google's Project Zero team. Other security companies that have disclosed these vulnerabilities include Hewlett-Packard, NCC Group, Intel, and McAfee.
According to Adobe, none of the vulnerabilities have attracted hackers so far. However, we all know that immediately after the release of the updated versions, and the disclosure of how the vulnerabilities work, hackers begin to exploit these critical issues in order to target users who have not updated their systems.
To see which version you are running and which is the latest, go to this page . You can see your version where it says: “Version Information. You have version ….. installed.” If you are not running the latest then go to the Flash Player website and download it.
