Adobe Flash needs to die

Can we all just agree that Adobe Flash needs to rot in hell.

Granted a lot of browser based games use the plugin. It’s how a lot of indie developers got their start, and got exposure on sites like Newgrounds and Facebook.

Problem is that Flash has become the goatse of web development. A huge, gaping security hole delivering terrifying malware onto unsuspecting users.

The latest threat comes from a steady stream of 0day exploits, which allow attackers to hijack ads to deliver drive-by viruses. It’s not just sites form the dark underbelly of the internet that are affected either. The hijacked ads have been discovered on Dailymotion, The Blaze, and New York Daily News.

Both Firefox and Internet Explorer are currently affected. Chrome works in its own sandbox environment, so malware tends to remain quarantined. Google is also a little faster getting updates out.

According to ArsTechnica, research firms have found evidence that criminals may be using these exploits to deliver crypto ransomware. It’s a particularly vicious piece of malware that encrypts every single drive connected to your computer unless you pay up. The most notable of which, Cryptolocker, has proven itself very effective. It’s certainly made Russian organized crime quite a bit of cash. So much so that it’s spawning off plenty of copycats.

When Flash was first created, it was meant to be an easy tool to serve up motion graphics and video on the web. It became so pervasive that nearly every site used it. Yet security vulnerabilities have plagued it for years.

Back in 2007, Apple received a lot of flack when they refused to include Flash with iOS. In hindsight, this was a blessing since it forced a lot of developers to switch over to newer technologies like HTML5. Yet there are still a few stragglers, even on big sites like Yahoo.

Right now, the broader online community needs to focus its efforts on purging Flash from the Internet. It’s no longer secure or really all that necessary.

If you are worried about malware threats, the simplest solution is to just uninstall Flash from your computer. You can also set up user accounts without administrative access. That can prevent programs from installing without your permission. Also make sure you’re fully up to date with the latest version of your browser.

Image via HD Wallpaper Corner