sabaithaime Jan 18, 2017 @ 10:49pm
Flash player concerns
I just ran Secunia PSI to check that all my programs are up to date and it told me to update flash player. I DO NOT have flash installed. It is not listed in my program list.

Every tech security blog/site/forum I know warns AGAINST having adobe flash anywhere near your pc.

I use Steam to play Age of Empire on my Windows 7 pc. Does that mean I have Flash installed on my pc?

Does this mean I have an outdated copy of flash on my computer courtesy of Steam?

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Showing 1-14 of 14 comments
FurryFailure Jan 19, 2017 @ 12:10am 
Adobe Flash is pretty much essential for Online Media for websites such as YouTube, Newgrounds, various explicit websites, and places like Miniclip (or any webbrowser based game sites) if you are able to watch YouTube flawlessly or view games on a site like Newgrounds, you will have Adobe Flash Player or a Flash Player of some kind, much like Java, Flash player is almost essential to day-to-day life as a PC user if you watch YouTube or play web-based games.

Don't quote me on that because It's just from my past experience as a PC user, not being able to watch YouTube Videos without a Flash Player, usually being Adobe Flash Player, just when you download or update Adobe Flash Player, uncheck the extra crap, as they can be a pain to have even though it's an official program, the extra software is unnessecary.

BE WARNED THOUGH There are many Adobe Flash ripoffs that WILL harm your computer, make sure you get the OFFICIAL Adobe Flash Player IF you do get it updated.

https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ <-- This is the official Website (Apologies if Steam removes the link, just make sure the site has https and is get.adobe)

If you do end up downloading the program, set it to automatically update to save future hassle.

And before you or anyone gets their hackles up, I'm just tryna help here, I'm extremely paranoid when I browse myself, I'm not forcing you or anyone to download the program, I've just provided a link to the Official website for the Flash Player for you or anyone who chooses to use it. Putting this little disclaimer here becuase last time I did something like this I got my head chewed off.
Last edited by FurryFailure; Jan 19, 2017 @ 12:25am
sabaithaime Jan 20, 2017 @ 2:55am 
Originally posted by Just a Fox:
Adobe Flash is pretty much essential for Online Media for websites such as YouTube, Newgrounds, various explicit websites, and places like Miniclip (or any webbrowser based game sites) if you are able to watch YouTube flawlessly or view games on a site like Newgrounds, you will have Adobe Flash Player or a Flash Player of some kind, much like Java, Flash player is almost essential to day-to-day life as a PC user if you watch YouTube or play web-based games.

Don't quote me on that because It's just from my past experience as a PC user, not being able to watch YouTube Videos without a Flash Player, usually being Adobe Flash Player, just when you download or update Adobe Flash Player, uncheck the extra crap, as they can be a pain to have even though it's an official program, the extra software is unnessecary.

BE WARNED THOUGH There are many Adobe Flash ripoffs that WILL harm your computer, make sure you get the OFFICIAL Adobe Flash Player IF you do get it updated.

https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ <-- This is the official Website (Apologies if Steam removes the link, just make sure the site has https and is get.adobe)

If you do end up downloading the program, set it to automatically update to save future hassle.

And before you or anyone gets their hackles up, I'm just tryna help here, I'm extremely paranoid when I browse myself, I'm not forcing you or anyone to download the program, I've just provided a link to the Official website for the Flash Player for you or anyone who chooses to use it. Putting this little disclaimer here becuase last time I did something like this I got my head chewed off.

Thank you @ Just a Fox,

I watch Youtube through Firfox and no Flash required long time. Have checked https://www.whatismybrowser.com/detect/is-flash-installed on each browser. Definatly no Flash on FF, is on Chrome (now disabled) but still showing on my system. Not happy with any sniff of Flash on my system due to unacceptable security concerns. Will un-install Steam and anything else required to make certain I am Flash free and particulary outdated Flash free!

I love Age of Empire but not enough to harm my system for the want of playing it!

Regards
FurryFailure Jan 20, 2017 @ 4:06am 
Originally posted by sabaithaime:
Originally posted by Just a Fox:
Adobe Flash is pretty much essential for Online Media for websites such as YouTube, Newgrounds, various explicit websites, and places like Miniclip (or any webbrowser based game sites) if you are able to watch YouTube flawlessly or view games on a site like Newgrounds, you will have Adobe Flash Player or a Flash Player of some kind, much like Java, Flash player is almost essential to day-to-day life as a PC user if you watch YouTube or play web-based games.

Don't quote me on that because It's just from my past experience as a PC user, not being able to watch YouTube Videos without a Flash Player, usually being Adobe Flash Player, just when you download or update Adobe Flash Player, uncheck the extra crap, as they can be a pain to have even though it's an official program, the extra software is unnessecary.

BE WARNED THOUGH There are many Adobe Flash ripoffs that WILL harm your computer, make sure you get the OFFICIAL Adobe Flash Player IF you do get it updated.

https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ <-- This is the official Website (Apologies if Steam removes the link, just make sure the site has https and is get.adobe)

If you do end up downloading the program, set it to automatically update to save future hassle.

And before you or anyone gets their hackles up, I'm just tryna help here, I'm extremely paranoid when I browse myself, I'm not forcing you or anyone to download the program, I've just provided a link to the Official website for the Flash Player for you or anyone who chooses to use it. Putting this little disclaimer here becuase last time I did something like this I got my head chewed off.

Thank you @ Just a Fox,

I watch Youtube through Firfox and no Flash required long time. Have checked https://www.whatismybrowser.com/detect/is-flash-installed on each browser. Definatly no Flash on FF, is on Chrome (now disabled) but still showing on my system. Not happy with any sniff of Flash on my system due to unacceptable security concerns. Will un-install Steam and anything else required to make certain I am Flash free and particulary outdated Flash free!

I love Age of Empire but not enough to harm my system for the want of playing it!

Regards

Alright, I'm fairly Certain Steam has nothing to do with Flash, but, I'm not sure, anyway, goodluck with it all.
adobe programs are the best programs around epecially there editing software idk what your on about man but your computer will be as good as tits on a bull without flash player. web pages and the internet needs flash player. most websites require flash.

for example all the unity games on this website require flash as you will see if you click on one without flash player installed. http://www.gamesfreak.net/
Last edited by The HopelessGamer™; Jan 20, 2017 @ 5:04am
Cathulhu Jan 20, 2017 @ 6:26am 
Adobe software is also notoriously known for their big security issues.
Flash is one of the biggest points of attack due to security issues that are discovered again and again and again.
So much that even government agencies deem it unsafe.
Last edited by Cathulhu; Jan 20, 2017 @ 6:28am
hate to break it to you bub but steam uses flash for video playback, so if the videos play, you have flash installed. Period. It uses an older version that is still linked to chromium
Bumbefly (we/All) Jan 20, 2017 @ 6:52am 
Security risk are everywhere, it's just becouse of the widespread use of Adobe Flash that makes it an easy point of entry & distribution.
However, Google has it's own Pepperflash that's more modern therefore believed to contain less security risks. Annyway it's less of a target for attack.
FurryFailure Jan 20, 2017 @ 8:31am 
I want to give OP the benefit of a doubt and say he or she isn't an Avid PC user, that being said, they'll soon learn these things later on, and if OP eventually changes their mind and wants to get flash, refer to my original post with the Official download.
Seven7 Jan 20, 2017 @ 9:57am 
some games, and video for example "Free to Play" in steam uses flash and air as engine or playback client
steam client can work without flash
Originally posted by Seven7:
some games, and video for example "Free to Play" in steam uses flash and air as engine or playback client
steam client can work without flash
it can but not very well.
sabaithaime Jan 20, 2017 @ 6:50pm 
Thanks to all for replies. I think this thread confirms my belief about modern tech users. The large majority are oblivious to or don’t care about privacy and security including that of their families and friends. It seems to me that as long as people can make their lives "seemingly" easier and feed their addiction to the latest games and apps they don’t care about security and privacy..

I have been using computers for thirty years and can do anything and everything I want to do with my laptop, tablet and Android. The HopelessGamer obviously hasn’t tried Firefox; I browse everything I want to with Firefox just fine even with all of my essential security add-ons enabled

What I won’t do is download an app or program that compromises my security and privacy just because that’s what everyone else does. I know that within the tech security industry there are grave concerns around the use of Adobe Flash and even graver concerns around the use of outdated Adobe Flash.

If I have to compromise my pc security/privacy to download a program, play a game or visit a website I DON’T DO IT AND I DON’T WANT IT.

If I can’t control potentially hazardous app permissions which come packaged with most apps these days I DON’T WANT IT.

Facebook is a prime suspect, not only are the app permissions required for the Android FB app totally unnecessary they are a blatant piss-take/liberty. The reality is Facebook/Google etc. don’t want you to secure your data. We live in an age where “information” is now power. Information on people is worth BIG money, from big business, big brother (security services) AS WELL AS GANGSTERS!

How many times have I seen posts from “friends” on Facebook who have been “hacked?”
How many infected links posted by friends does my security software warn me against each month?
How many times have I posted links like this one {LINK REMOVED} with clear instructions on how to lockdown Facebook security?
How many people give a **** and have taken note of the warnings? 1 or 2 out of five-hundred in about 10 years.

There are ways to access FB which don’t require you sell your soul and your privacy to FB. That’s why I don’t have FB on my phone because I don’t need it enough to sell my soul.

I blame the schools partly; they teach people what to think instead of how to think. They don’t teach essential security and privacy basics and that’s because those in power don’t want you to be secure and protect your privacy. People blindly fall for this BS because they MUST HAVE that Facebook app so that they can look at pictures of their friend’s dinner.

One nasty infection on your PC because you were dumb enough to click on an infected link to
“Cats that make you lol” and you potentially compromise the security and privacy of all of your friends and family PARTICULARY IF YOU USE A FAMILY PC.

One bad link can leave you and your family vulnerable to bad people.
One can use YouTube without Flash since long. That may not have been the case for embedded YouTube though.

By today I assume one can use the Internet without Flash but some videos and banners on some sites won't work. But as long as one are fine not using those it will work.

Chrome include Flash in itself so one don't need to have a separate Flash installation for that. But it's there. You can of course disable it though.

Steam may include Flash too. I don't know. Can one visit non-Steam webpages with the webbrowser in Steam?
FurryFailure Jan 20, 2017 @ 8:24pm 
Problem with Government 'Big Brother' things is, no matter what you do, as long as you're connected to the internet, opening your browser will ping you and your Government can track you, it's the same with turning your phone on, so if you're worried about the government invading your privacy, you've already lost, but I can understand your concerns, but at the end of the day, Flash Player is an Optional-Essential program, no one is forcing you to get it, most of us PC users use the silly program to get the best out of our online experience because it's required.

And if you've played Pokemon GO, you're ♥♥♥♥♥♥ by default because games like those are blatant privacy breaches and spyware. (That and it's in their Terms of Service)

Point is, we're- atleast I'm not -we're not forcing you to download something you don't want, there's no need to attack us and call us idiots. (You didn't outright call us idiots but it's heavily implied).

We were just trying to help you understand why you may have a Flash Player and may need one if you're an avid online user.

Remember Optional-Essential. It's up to the user if they want it, but it may be required.
Bumbefly (we/All) Jan 21, 2017 @ 2:28am 
sabaithaime, Do you use any word processor, picture viewer or music player? The files we want them to show us are points of possible attack/entry as well. It's not about any OS and/or software currently being abused more then others. For if we switch to different options, the perps will switch to those new options with us. It's about common sence to surf safe. Those who surf safe can use OS/software/files that for Ppl who surf unsafe are points of attack.

If one is that uptight with security, then then the person should not be living in a house with windows or doors. For windows and doors are used by burglars to break an entry.
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Date Posted: Jan 18, 2017 @ 10:49pm
Posts: 14