There are over a billion users of Adobe Flash Player–a free software for using content created on the Adobe Flash platform, including viewing multimedia, executing rich Internet applications, and streaming video and audio.
Yesterday, Adobe issued a security advisory that its Flash Player software has a “critical vulnerability” that “is being actively exploited” to deliver ransomware to computers with Windows 10 (and earlier), Macintosh, Linux and Chrome OS.
Note: Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to the infected computer system in some way, and demands that the user pay a ransom to the malware operators to remove the restriction. Some forms of ransomware systematically encrypt files on the system’s hard drive, which become difficult or impossible to decrypt without paying the ransom for the encryption key, while some may simply lock the system and display messages intended to coax the user into paying. Ransomware typically propagates as a trojan, whose payload is disguised as a seemingly legitimate file.
Adobe warns: “Successful exploitation [of the Flash Player’s vulnerability] could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.”
Adobe recommends users of Adobe Flash Player, who have not already done so, immediately update to the current version of Flash Player via the update mechanism within the product or by visiting the Adobe Flash Player Download Center. If you use multiple browsers, install the update in each browser you have installed on your system.
To install the “patch” to fix your Adobe Flash Player vulnerability, click here.
~Eowyn