It s time, once again, to update your Flash player. Or, better yet, uninstall it.
Adobe warned Thursday that security researchers have found numerous critical vulnerabilities in the multimedia software, including one that s already being exploited by hackers. The software giant issued a new version of Flash with multiple updates to close the holes.
These updates address critical vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system, Adobe said in a security bulletin.
The new version of Flash addresses some 23 different vulnerabilities. All of those, in some fashion or other, could be used by hackers to run malicious code.
The vulnerabilities were discovered by a collection of different researchers, including some from Microsoft, Google and Alibaba. Researchers at Kaspersky Lab discovered the most dangerous of the vulnerabilities, the one that is already being used in the wild.
Flash is a popular plug-in for browsers that served a crucial role in bringing video, games and dynamic pages to the Web. But in recent years, its capabilities have been matched by the collection of technologies known as HTML 5. Because HTML is the the coding language underlying the Web, browsers don t need a separate a plug-in to play videos or games that are embedded with it.
Even as HTML has become more capable, Flash has become a key weak point in computer security. That s why many security researchers have recommended that consumers turn off or uninstall Flash.
Flash never gained much traction in the mobile world, in part because Apple refused to support it on the iPhone and iPad. After initially pushing it for Android, Adobe eventually ceased updating and offering it for other mobile devices.
Late last year, the company indicated that it was moving away from Flash on the PC as well, re-crafting its multimedia production tools to emphasize development in HTML 5 rather than Flash.
Adobe s San Jose headquarters. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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