One of the best-known software components is celebrating its farewell at the end of the year.
Microsoft is retiring “Adobe Flash Player”, which has probably become an integral part of the mind of every Windows user in recent years. The final shutdown of the bedrock is scheduled for December 31, 2020. Until then, however, a few things will happen in this regard.
At the time Flash Player was introduced in 1996, the Internet consisted mainly of blocks of text and was rather static. With the introduction of the “Flash Player”, web designers now had the opportunity to fully express their creativity. The insertion of animations, images, and other visual representations was now possible. Over time, the capability of the features increased, making claiming now high-resolution videos and better-looking browser games less and less of a challenge.
In 2010, 99 percent of all Internet users had Adobe Flash Player installed. However, what simultaneously improved the web appearance and the use of animations for the end-user also proved to be a major security gap and opportunity for cybercrime over time. “The National Vulnerability Database, which is based in the USA and records software vulnerabilities, now has over 1,100 entries for Adobe Flash Player,” says Stefan Wolf, IT consultant and software expert at TECHNIKHIWI magazine.“The last vulnerability was only registered in June 2020 and marked with the highest possible criticality level”. So that hackers lose this important point of contact in the future, many experts consider the step to be correct and necessary.
If there are any questions about this step, “Adobe” offers important answers to frequently asked questions on its manufacturer’s website. When the end date is reached, however, all support will be discontinued – this also includes updating and distributing the plug-in. The software will also be rendered unusable on the effective date since all “Flash” content can no longer be executed from this point in time.
Apart from that, “Adobe” gives important tips that end-users should definitely follow. Using earlier versions after the end of support is not recommended due to the lack of updates and security patches. Also, to ensure an orderly transition, it is recommended that you uninstall before the deadline.
The operators of various browsers have already reacted and rolled out their individual timetables. “Version 84” of “Firefox” starts in December and should also mean the end of compatibility. From previous information, there is no concrete date for the release – but based on the previous rhythms this is probably December 15th.
“Google Chrome” is already equipped with a roadmap for the “Flash end”. From “Version 83” onwards, a warning is drawn to this, from “Chrome 88” the execution is blocked. This version is expected to be available for download in January 2021.
