I’m simultaneously amazed and not surprised that Adobe Flash is still as widely used as it is currently. I was just working with a client who uses a website for a very large financial services company where certain key features rely on Flash. And this site was just launched. I know of several other clients who regularly rely on training websites to ensure employee compliance that require Flash be enabled to view their webinars. It’s as if all the major technology companies haven’t been warning for years that Adobe Flash was a dead-end technology riddled with security flaws. Heck, Google started hammering nails in Flash’s coffin five years ago, and yet, here it is, still required throughout the corporate workplace.
“I’m not dead yet!”
Unlike the famous Monty Python scene, there’s nothing humorous about Adobe’s stated plans to discontinue support for the stand-alone Flash Player at the end of this year. Not only will it no longer be supported, Adobe has stated that it will just stop working at that point, and should be uninstalled. I can see some of you scratching your head, “Hang on, isn’t Flash built into my browser?” And therein lies maybe a small amount of grace for tardy developers who are hoping to eke out a few more miles from their Flash content. Chrome, Firefox and Edge all have Flash built into the browser, but make you manually unblock each website that still requires Flash to operate, and there are, as of today, no definite dates for when those browsers kick Flash to the curb for good. You can bet that it won’t be too much past Adobe’s deadline. If you are relying on a website that still uses Flash, you know who you are: the hoops you have to jump through to use a Flash website are essentially impossible to avoid. Make sure you contact your content provider to find out what plans they have, if any, to upgrade their websites when Adobe Flash finally shuffles off this mortal coil.
Image by 00luvicecream from Pixabay
Adobe Flash can’t seem to catch a break. Their most current black eye has arrived in the form of yet another zero-day exploit of a vulnerability in the latest versions (19.0.0.185 and 19.0.0.207) of the browser plug-in. According to Trend Micro’s blog, the hacking group Pawn Storm is targeting government workers via spear-phishing emails that contain links to news about current events. Instead of taking them to a legitimate news story, the links lead to compromised websites that can install malware onto the victim’s computer via the aforementioned exploit. Rather than the usual identity theft, this group seems to have a more politicized agenda and bears similarities to attacks on NATO from last year.
What this means for you:
If you are new to this blog, you may not have been briefed on the #1 Rule of Personal Technology Security: “Don’t click strange email links.” Even clients who have weathered years of me saying this sometimes let their guard down, so Rule #2 is “Be prepared for the worst,” which you should interpret as (1) having a strong firewall, (2) trusted anti-malware installed, and (3) a contingency straegy that includes backups and plans for operating without core infrastructure when things do go wrong. The sad matter of fact is that cyberattacks will get past anyone’s mental guard – we are only human after all – at which point properly installed and configured technology can act as a safety net. Note the emphasis – poorly implemented security is worse than nothing at all in some cases. When you have nothing, at least you aren’t lulled into a false sense of security. And don’t count on the (perhaps prematurely reported) death of Flash as means to improve everyone’s overall security profile. We haven’t quite seen the end of Flash just yet, and there are plenty of other platforms (Java anyone?) that could easily take its place if and when Adobe finally puts this software out to pasture for good.http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/10/new-zero-day-exploit-hits-fully-patched-adobe-flash/
Under the auspice of saving battery life on laptops, Google just made good on their promise in June of this year to pause Flash elements on webpages loaded in their browser, Chrome. Though they don’t outright name what elements they are targeting *cough* advertising *cough*, as of September 1, Chrome will, by default, no longer autoplay Flash-based media on any page. If you want to punch that monkey to win a prize, you will have to click on the advertisement to get it to dance around on your screen. Now before you break out the champagne, this certainly doesn’t mean the end of web advertising by any stretch of the imagination – many of the ads you see are HTML5-based (including Google’s own AdWords platform) – but seeing as Chrome has 50% of the browser marketshare, it’s a safe bet that many, many advertisers will stop using Flash as a delivery mechanism, and given Flash’s long history of security weaknesses, this is a good thing.
What this means for you:
If you’re using Chrome as your main web browser, make sure it’s updated to the latest version, and start breathing the Flash-paused air. Firefox users have been enjoying this particular state for a little while now, as Mozilla put Flash in permanent time-out last month. If you are still using Internet Explorer (and many, many folks are required to because of various corporate applications) you can also experience a Flash-paused existence by following the steps outlined in this article.
Most importantly, if your website was designed with Flash elements (as many were up to about 2 years ago), it’s time to refresh your online presence to marginalize or eliminate the dependency on Flash. Its days are well and truly numbered.
Last week’s breach of Italian security firm Hacking Team exposed documentation that detailed the firm’s use of previously unknown security weaknesses in Adobe’s pervasive Flash platform. Typically known as “zero-day” vulnerabilities, these types of holes are being exploited by cybercriminals from the moment they are discovered, and companies will scramble madly to patch the problems and distribute the fix to their customers. Apparently fed up with the ongoing security failures of the plugin and Adobe’s lackluster speed at fixing them, Mozilla has started blocking outdated Flash plugins from running in Firefox, and Facebook’s security czar has called for the troubled platform to be retired:
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.
— Alex Stamos (@alexstamos) July 12, 2015
What this means for you:
If you are the owner of a website that uses Flash, you should review whether its use is optional or required, with the latter choice presenting numerous challenges, including alienating a large segment of your mobile browsers; both iOS and Android require special, third-part apps to run Flash that are typically not free. Adding this to Google’s latest ranking algorithm which disfavors sites that aren’t mobile friendly, and you could end up with a website that gets relegated to a dark corner of the internet.
As a website visitor, at minimum you should update your Flash plugin immediately, and only do so by getting the latest version from Adobe’s website. Do not follow links or popups that appear while visiting websites – 99% of the time they are not legitimate and will lead to a malware infection. If you’d prefer to stop using Flash altogether, you can follow these instructions to make Flash ask for permission every time it runs:
Like the predictable “tick-tock” of a clock, reports are coming in of an infection spreading rapidly through Facebook via a fake Flash Update. The “tick” in this case was the report last week of a zero-day Flash vulnerability, and the subsequent legitimate update of the Adobe Flash plug-in. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, cybercriminals have released the “tock” – a video on Facebook is tricking clickers into installing a set of malware that can take complete control of the victim’s computer. Over 100k have fallen for this scam which is only 2 days old as of this writing.
What this means for you:
If you see a warning pop up on your computer that software on your computer may be out of date, it may be legitimate, and it may not be. With Adobe Flash, it’s very easy to check by going to Adobe’s own Flash website http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html. Also be wary of the source of the update warning, such as that which comes from clicking on a dodgy link on Facebook or in an email. Doublecheck it against a legitimate source. Not sure what that source might be? Your trusted IT professional is only a quick call away. Spending five more minutes to vette that update warning is certainly worth avoiding a malware infection, right?
Adobe has confirmed that a recently discovered vulnerability in the current version of Flash for Windows, Macintosh and Linux is actively being exploited on the internet. Adobe is planning to release a patch the week of January 26th, but did not confirm a specific date. Though security vulnerabilities are nothing new to Flash, this particular loophole is being exploited by a well-known and widely distributed exploit “kit” called Angler which could indicate a rapid spread of compromised websites and a large spike in malware infections. Once used to gain access to a victim’s computer, the device could fall prey to any number of malicious programs, including key loggers, ratting, ransomware, and good ole-fashion zombification.
What this means for you:
According to Adobe’s own advisory, pretty much everyone is affected by this exploit, though some reports suggest that Windows 8.1 and Chrome users may be safe for the moment, but that was based upon the current version of the Angler kit in distribution. The actual security hole Angler exploits exists in every version of Flash on all OS platforms. The easiest way to protect yourself from this exploit is to disable Flash altogether. For all browsers except Chrome is usually a matter of disabling the plug-in. For Chrome, you have to type “chrome://plugins/” into your address bar to access the hidden internal plug-ins page, at which point you can disable it from there. Aside from keeping your browser’s “head” down until the storm passes, make sure your antimalware software is functioning properly and updated, and avoid any strange links you may receive over the coming week.
Researchers at Bluebox Security have published an unsettling discovery in the Android operating system that is the digital equivalent of a law enforcement official neglecting to verify if your driver’s license is actually real whenever you submit it as proof of your identity. Oh, and this little bug has been around since version 2.1 of the OS, which was released in January 2010. The real problem with this bug (aside from it being over 4 years old and still unpatched) is that it has the potential to grant malware written to take advantage of this bug an unprecedented level of access to your phone. While Google has acknowledged Bluebox’s finding, there is still no word on when this serious flaw will be fixed.
What this means for you:
Normally, Android apps installed on your phone are “sandboxed” into their own spaces, preventing them from interacting with other apps without permission. However, there are a certain set of apps that are allowed access to other apps, ostensibly to provide services to those apps. A well known example of a “super-privileged” app is Adobe’s Flash Player (before it was removed from the Play Store in Android 4.4) which was granted privileges to other apps primarily to provide rendering and playback services for Flash content. Each app comes with its own security certificate that is supposed to verify the apps identity and authenticity. Except because of the above-mentioned bug, your Android phone doesn’t bother to verify if the certificate itself was issued by a proper authority. Oops.
Until Google fixes this bug, be very careful installing new apps that appear on the Play store, especially if you are directed to one via suspicious email or social media. Even though Google supposedly checks every single app made available on the Play Store, hackers and security researchers have been able to sneak malware into the store for a short period of time. And definitely do not side-load apps. Hopefully I don’t need to explain just how bad having malware on your phone could be, especially one that could interact with things like your contact list, banking apps and social media accounts.
Security holes in Adobe’s Flash and Oracle’s Java have become so commonplace, it’s actually helped to raise awareness about the necessity of keeping these platforms updated, but there’s a third platform that many of you probably use everyday without ever realizing that it too needs to be patched. Would it surprise you to know that it’s a Microsoft product? Microsoft’s Silverlight technology was originally built to compete with Flash, but it’s probably best known as the platform that delivers Netflix’s streaming content to your computer. Hackers, unfortunately, are very much aware of how widespread Silverlight is, and are currently pressing their attacks on older versions of Silverlight, seeing as their usual punching bags, Java and Flash, are now firmly in the security spotlight.
What this means for you:
If you’ve ever watched Netflix streaming content on your computer, you have Silverlight installed. Even if you don’t use Netflix streaming, there is a high probability Silverlight is installed on your computer, even if it’s a Mac. Depending on how long ago it was initially installed, it might be out of date, especially if you disallowed automatic updates of the software. The latest version of Silverlight is 5, and to make sure you are up to date, you can use this link here. While you are at it, double check to make sure Java and Flash are both up to date as well, but be careful of the “optional software” both companies push when you update their platforms. Oracle variously pushes the Ask toolbar or McAfee Security Scan, the former a very annoying adware-spawning toolbar, and the latter may be redundant if you already have a decent antimalware app installed. Adobe is a little less obnoxious, but it does offer to automatically install Google Chrome (and the Google Toolbar), which may be redundant if you already have it installed, or possibly very confusing to a less savvy computer user who thinks Internet Explorer is the web browser.
The first Tuesday of every month is commonly known as “Patch Tuesday” in the IT industry, and is called thus because Microsoft issues its monthly batch of patches and security fixes to its operating systems and applications, most notably Internet Explorer. February’s selection features a whopping 31 CVEs (common vulnerabilities and exposures) that have been fixed in 4 “critical” updates and 3 “important” updates. Chief among the fixes are patches to all versions of Internet Explorer 6 through 11 to fill holes in the web browser that Microsoft anticipates being exploited in the next 30 days. Adobe also issued a fix for its Shockwave Media Player (a legacy multimedia player that may be installed on older PCs), not to be confused with Adobe Flash, which was also patched last week to combat a security hole that was actively being exploited on the internet.
What this means for you:
Depending on whether your technology is managed by an IT department, 3rd-part provider like C2, or just by you, your Windows computers may update in the next day or two, or further out if your IT department tests MS updates before patching your company’s fleet. The ones that really need to pay attention are those that manage the software updates personally, as it’s easy to forget about or ignore the Windows Update process.
Not sure if your computer’s OS needs an update? Go to Control Panels -> Windows Update and read the information presented there. It will tell you if there are any updates waiting to be applied, when your computer was last updated, and you can even see a full history of what was updated previously. You can also double-check to see how your computer is set to check and apply updates. The best choice for most non-managed computers is the default setting for Windows Update, which is to download and apply all “important” and “critical” updates automatically on a regular schedule.
If you need to check whether Adobe Flash is properly patched, you can visit http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html to check what version you have installed and whether it is working properly.
Kaspersky Labs just released their quarterly threat report for Q3 2012, and it’s dry reading for most folks not fascinated by IT security as I am. There are some notable trends that their research has surfaced, and I thought you might find some of these data points interesting:
- You are least likely to be infected by a fellow countryman in the nation of Denmark. (The US is in the lower first quartile, in case you were wondering.)
- Russia has overtaken the US as having the most websites hosting malware software.
- The most commonly found smartphone virus is designed to steal money from you by texting premium-rate numbers without you noticing.
- The most common way to get a virus infection is via drive-by infections, ie. visiting a dodgy website and getting infected when your browser loads pages that have embedded viruses.
- Of the top 10 most commonly found software vulnerabilities, 2 are found in Oracle software (Java), 5 from Adobe (Flash, Shockwave & Acrobat), 2 from Apple (Quicktime and iTunes), and 1 from Winamp.
- Over half of the detected malware infections came from Java vulnerabilities.
- For the first time in many years, Microsoft did not make the Top 10 list of vulnerabilities!
What this means for you:
Keep your software up to date. The java vulnerabilities have been patched, but many people ignore (or aren’t even aware) that Java needs to be kept up to date just like any other software installed on their machine. Keep your browser up to date, and if you have the choice, use the latest version of IE, or even better, Google’s Chrome browser. However, nothing will keep you safe if you don’t have proper malware protection installed, updated and ACTIVE. If you use an Android phone, see my previous article on the dangers of side-loading questionable apps. As of the moment, buying smartphone anti-virus software isn’t at the same state of “must-have” as computers, but we may be fast approaching that point. If you are careful about the apps you install on your phone, you don’t need it…yet.