Mozilla Firefox Now Blocking Flash By Default

[engine]

Have you noticed Adobe Flash is blocked? Mozilla says that Adobe's Flash 18.0.0.203 (click-to-play) player is now blocked by default to help protect users. The most recent Flash player vulnerabilities are, apparently, the reason why.

All versions of Adobe’s Flash Player plugin are currently deactivated by default, until Adobe releases an updated version to address known critical security issues. Mozilla Firefox Now Blocking Flash By Default [support.mozilla.org]

[addons.mozilla.org...]

Adobe Flash Critical Vulnerability for Windows, Mac, and Linux [webmasterworld.com]

[tangor]

Not sure "blocked by default" is correct. I do know FF checks the plugin on site access to see if it is uptodate and offers options to allow it (not recommended) or update, which is the way it has worked for me for a month or so (can't remember which recent update to FF brought this feature).

[tangor]

Clarification what I mean by "not blocked b default": Once the updated flash plugin is installed, the browser, no matter how many different times opened or closed, will allow that flash to work until there is a security notification, at which point, the next time I open the browser and go a site which has flash, it will block it then, with option to update.

I do a lot of internet radio and most of those have flash for delivery. As described above is how the "block" has been working for me.

[not2easy]

I have Adobe Flash turned off by default (on Mac) for quite a long time now. To view Flash content, I can give it permission to run which can be a one time permission or permanent, based on the site. I don't feel like I am missing anything I wanted to see. BTW - there is still no update available for Mac, I check every so often since the new problem was announced.

[RedBar]

It's gone ballistic in my browser today, I've never seen it this annoying.

[Leosghost]

Always kept flash blocked ( despite the fact that I like flash, and my son programs in it , amongst other languages ) on all devices..Like not2easy , I can allow one time ( per domain or page ) or always ( per domain or page )..very very rarely do..
Linux is less of a target..most of the nasties that things such as malware in flash etc attempt to download try to install things on win or subvert already existing win processes..But, no point in taking unwarranted risks even so..

[bill]

I thought it interesting when Facebook’s chief security officer publicly asked Adobe to kill off Flash once and for all.

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.
[twitter.com...]

[tangor]

It's one thing to ask, Bill, it's quite another to go a ahead and kill it (like Apple did). Flash won't go away quick, still too useful and very embedded in the web at the moment... but I, too, do agree tat flash as we now know it is more of a liability than tool, and there are other technologies now available.

Note: for those of us who NoScript, flash is disabled always, unless allowed), instance, page, or site. One reason I really didn't notice when Mozilla put this new feature in the build.

[IanCP]

I simply updated Flash and the annoying notice went away.

[super70s]

I do a lot of internet radio and most of those have flash for delivery.

A particularly stupid idea as far as I'm concerned. None of the stations I have set up in iTunes use it and I have plenty to choose from.

[IanCP]

I would equally say that what I NEED to watch, simply wouldn't work without Flash.

[engine]

I asked the question, is it time to retire Flash, too, and i'm no security expert. [webmasterworld.com...]

I'm sure that Flash is not going to go away quickly, but it may have had its day.

With Flash turned off it's a real eye-opener, although, I am missing some content i'd prefer to see.

[thomcraver]

I thought it interesting when Facebook’s chief security officer publicly asked Adobe to kill off Flash once and for all.

Extremely. Especially considering nearly all the videos posted require flash to play.

[JAB Creations]

I don't have a problem with it blocking the three minute outdated versions of Flash that have more bugs than an ant colony though when clients see the error message I have to think twice every time now since some have gotten viruses from fake warning websites through advertisers that do utterly no scam filtering on their own networks (and the websites that host them either apparently). But you know what...don't tell Mozilla because it'll just be another thing they'll use to further make it painfully difficult as possible to continue customizing Firefox. I wish I could be more positive in general but no one seems to be able to do their jobs competently.

John

[tangor]

The "default" block on Flash has been lifted by Mozilla

[theregister.co.uk...]

[RedBar]

Mozilla's tighter controls were more than justified by events. Hackers had been hammering away at these vulnerabilities – and earlier, patched flaws – over recent days.

F-Secure reported a "clear increase in Flash exploits"

Where and to whom are they supposedly doing this?

[engine]

Wherever they can get the opportunity. Hacked sites are always a possibility. Anyone viewing a hacked site could run into trouble.

[mcneely]

I had to give my browser permission to use Flash in every instance. Firefox was the only browser out of the others (Vivaldi, Chromium) that I use, that disallowed Flash.

[tangor]

? disallowed flash, or that it was being served/hosted from a different location? Flash works great for me, and I won't click on flash "served" on sites that don't serve the flash themselves. Avoids all that cross-jacking etc that is possible.

[mcneely]

Yeah @tangor .. Firefox got their noses all out of joint over Flash having exploitable holey code ... nothing new really. Firefox wouldn't let their Flash installer/functions work. Even if it was being served in network, it was blocked or disallowed.

The boys and girls over at Adobe should either do away with it all together. or sell it to Google or somebody willing to take the time to keep it all up-to-date. Flash these days isn't too unlike still having a 3 1/2 inch floppy disc in your CPU .. it's older than dirt in internet years.

I don't think I know of anyone any more that builds sites in Flash -- I think the reason why it's still around is because there are a lot of news, informational, and advertiser sites that still use it almost exclusively ..

Even still ... I think that .fla and .swf days are numbered. I think we should try and get as far ahead of the curve as possible before it finally goes away forever.

[RedBar]

I don't think I know of anyone any more that builds sites in Flash

I was on a very popular site the other day and I was really surprised how many flash ads/stuff there were when it autoblocked them.

In 2010 a couple of our younger marketing guys decided that flash was the way forward with one of our sites. I advised them of the reasons why not to do it etc but they still went ahead and actually built a relly nice site.

Within 12 months it had lost almost all its traffic and after numerous complaints from customers being unable to access it from their various devices, they came back to me and asked for a new site. I duly built one in html5 responsive, the flash site still exists if anyone wants to access it but, of course, very few do.