Adobe Flash is broken. Again. I guess when you’ve got a billion users, having hackers find vulnerabilities in your software is inevitable. Unfortunately, the hackers are living large on money gained from people and organizations, many of whom can’t afford it.
As of April 7, 2016, Adobe issued an advisory announcing a critical vulnerability in Adobe Flash. What this means for those who still use Adobe Flash—which is still a lot of people and companies—it’s time to apply these Adobe Flash updates. Not doing so could expose your computer to those nasty gremlins we know as malware.
Time to apply Adobe Flash updates
When Adobe issues these advisories, the best thing is to update your version of Adobe Flash as soon as possible. If you haven’t updated already and you’re running a Windows or Macintosh computer, go to the Adobe Flash Download Center and implement the latest Adobe Flash updates.
If you’ve updated your version already and are having trouble, try checking the Flash Player Help page.
What’s the downside of not updating?
If you’re one of those people (or organizations) who regards updating as too much trouble, please be aware this particular update from Adobe is being classified as “critical.” There have been plenty of critical updates in the past, but this one’s a doozy because of what a hacker can do with the older versions of Adobe Flash. In short, they can introduce malware known as “Locky ransomware.”
What is Locky ransomware?
The name “Locky” doesn’t sound very threatening. It almost sounds cute. Wrong. This strain of malware will encrypt and lock all of your files. You will be unable to access the files and must pay between $200 and $400 in bitcoin to have your computer unlocked. Let’s not even get started on bitcoin, that’s a whole different issue.
Word documents in email attachments have traditionally been used to spread this malware. With the news released on April 7, experts realized older versions of Adobe Flash are also vulnerable. The list of those who have fallen victim to this strain of malware include Methodist Hospital in Henderson, KY.
What’s your next step? Use the link above and install the Adobe Flash updates if you have Flash installed on your computer.
