Critical Reasons to Update to Adobe Flash Player Version 24.0.0.221

To address critical vulnerabilities in Flash player, Adobe has frequently released updated with bug fixes and, in some cases, performance improvements. The latest update brought a cure for 13 critical vulnerabilities.

Released this February, the Flash Player 24.0.0.221 update patched security concerns that have been exploited in the wild. Considering that these vulnerabilities are labeled as critical, it is important that all users of Adobe Flash Player upgrade to the latest version.

In an advisory, Adobe said that the vulnerabilities “could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system”. Nothing could be more dangerous than turning what is supposed to be a harmless machine into a destructive one.

Based on the Adobe Security Bulletin, the affected versions are as follow:

• 0.0.194 and earlier versions of the Adobe Flash Player Desktop Runtime in Windows, Macintosh, and Linux
• 0.0.194 and earlier versions of the Adobe Flash Player for Google Chrome in Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Chrome OS
• 0.0.194 and earlier versions of the Adobe Flash Player for Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 10 and 8.1.

If you’re unsure if your system has a vulnerable version, verify through the About Flash Player page; or open a content using Flash Player, right click on it and select About Adobe.

The patch will resolve type confusion, integer overflow, heap buffer overflow, memory corruption, and user-after-free security flaws that can all lead to code execution. This is why updating to the latest version is critical.

In case you’re using Chrome, which no longer supports Flash Player, you would have to perform a manual update or force an update.

How to force update Adobe Flash Player in Chrome

1. Open a Chrome browser.
2. On the address bar, type in chrome://components.
3. Look for Adobe Flash Player on the list and see if it has version 24.0.0.221. If not, click the “Check for Update” to initiate the update.

If you want to avoid future security concerns related to the Flash Player, use safer alternatives.