Flash Player has been one of the most important add-ons of the Internet age. However, everything comes to an end, especially when a company, like Adobe, has failed to adapt its plugin to the new times and new Internet technologies. After years of asking for the end of Adobe, it has finally come true. And it will be from January 2021 when the complement goes down in history and it is its creator who drives the last nail in its coffin.
Earlier this month, Adobe released what will be the last support update for its plugin. Microsoft has already started to erase Flash from Windows, and the main browsers have followed in its footsteps by removing the NPAPI plugin from Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, among others, so that users cannot use it by mistake and protect them from computer attacks that, without they are definitely going to skyrocket in the next few weeks.
Companies are trying to make the removal of this add-on as automatic as possible, preventing users from having to do anything to get rid of it. However, surely there are still users who depend too much on this add-on (especially if they visit game websites that have not yet been updated) who are looking for how to download and install Flash from 2021. And, although it will be possible, we should not do it under no circumstances, as we will be endangering our security.
Dangers of using Flash in 2021
Flash is abandoned, outdated, and vulnerable . Hackers know this very well, and they are going to take advantage of it to carry out all kinds of computer attacks. This plugin has vulnerabilities of all kinds, from gaining privileges in the system to dumping confidential information from memory and even remotely executing code on our PC.
To do this, hackers often resort to a number of techniques. The most common is to make the user reach a web page , controlled by them, designed to take advantage of the vulnerabilities of this add-on. To do this, hackers only have to hide the exploit within a Flash frame so that when the victim enters the page, their PC is instantly compromised.
But this vector is not going to be the only one exploited. As a result of Adobe removing the entire website from its website, we will be able to see a large number of advertisements and false websites that will offer us the possibility of downloading Flash on our PC. And all this, of course, false. What these ads will do is make us download malicious and unwanted software to endanger our security.
Of course, using an old browser , which is still Flash compatible, is just as dangerous. A browser without updating has vulnerabilities that could also put our PC in danger, in addition to Flash. For this reason, it is just as important to forget about Flash as to use an updated browser. Both options go hand in hand.
So long, malware
We cannot deny that this plugin has been very important for the websites to be today as we know them. But of all the options out there years ago, the most popular has been the worst of all. Very expensive security, performance and licensing issues that have only served to enrich companies and hackers.
Fortunately, today, the HTML and CSS standards are capable of doing the same as Flash, and much more. And they give us excellent security and performance in every way.