Mozilla recently rolled out Firefox 15, the latest version of the browser in their new rapid-release schedule. With this new release there are quite a few new features, which have been outlined in the above linked post. One interesting feature that bears a little more attention and some explanation is the new built-in PDF reader. [...]
Adobe
We write regularly about Adobe news, mainly about their popular pdf reader Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash or Adobe Download Manager, background processes like Adobearm.exe And Reader_sl.exe but also about third party tools like Adobe Reader Lite.- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 11
Adobe Flash Player 11.4 released
Adobe today has released Flash Player 11.4.402.265 to the public for all supported operating systems. What’s interesting for Firefox users is that Adobe appears to have fixed the losing focus bug in the browser that we have reported on yesterday. The bug basically removed focus from the Firefox window under certain circumstances, which meant that [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 9
Adobe ditches Flash Player for Android (sort of)
Adobe up until now has made available a version of Flash Player for the Android mobile operating system. Back in February, Adobe pushed out a notification that it stopped developing Flash for Android devices, and that Chrome for Android Beta would not support Flash contents because of this while the default Android browser would for [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 8
How to update Adobe Flash Player manually in Windows
You may know that Adobe has implemented an auto-updater to its Flash Player that is running as a service, Adobe Flash Player Update Service, and a scheduled task in Windows’ Task Scheduler. This is the same basic method that Google uses to update its various programs on the system. When you look at the scheduled [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 43
Adobe Flash Update 11.3.300.262 said to fix Firefox issues
When Adobe shipped an update of its Flash Player earlier this month, reports began to emerge by Firefox users that something was not right. Some users reported issues on popular mostly Flash-driven websites such as YouTube, while others experienced crashes and freezes in the browser. Both Mozilla and Adobe offered troubleshooting tips for Firefox users [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 6
Shumway: Mozilla-backed Virtual Flash SWF Technology
Browser makers have four options to deal with Flash issues. They can do nothing and continue to support the Flash plugin, start to integrate Flash natively into the browser like Google did and Microsoft is doing, block Flash from their browser completely, or try to replace it with an alternative. The Shumway project tries to [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 14
Adobe Flash Player June 2012 Security Update
Adobe yesterday evening has released a security update for Adobe Flash Player that users should install as soon as possible. Adobe rates it as a priority 2 update which is assigned to vulnerabilities where exploits do not seem to be in the wild or imminent. The severity rating has however been set to critical. Having [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 7
Flash Integrated Natively In Internet Explorer 10?
Many webmasters, web developers and regular users thought that the rise of HTML5 would eliminate the web’s need for Adobe Flash and other proprietary technologies. Even though we have seen some sites make use of HTML5 technologies, Flash is still widely used, often as a fallback for users whose browsers do not support all the [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 13
Adobe Flash Player 11.2, Air 3.2 Released
Adobe Flash Player 11.2 has been released by Adobe a few hours ago. The download page is already linking to the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Flash Player for all supported operating systems, and users who prefer to download offline installers can do so on the Adobe Flash Player Distribution page. As with every new [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 15
No More Flash Updates For Linux, Unless You Use Chrome
Breaking News: Adobe just made an announcement on the official Air and Flash Player Team Blog that changes are coming to Flash Player on Linux. The company has partnered up with Google to “develop a single modern API for hosting plugins within the browser”. PPAPI (code-named Pepper), adds a layer between the browser and underlying [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 11
Adobe Releases A New Security Update For Flash Player
Adobe has released a new security update for Flash Player that fixes several critical security vulnerabilities in the product. The vulnerabilities affect all platforms Flash Player is available on. Affected software versions are Adobe Flash Player 11.1.102.55 and earlier for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris operating systems, as well as Adobe Flash Player 11.1.112.61 and [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 3
Latest Flash Player Preview Adds Protected Mode Features For Firefox
Popular web browser plugins like Flash Player or Java are a prime target of malware and hackers. The core reasons are simple: Lack of centralized updating and little to no protection of the underlying system if the plugin has been compromised. Changes have been introduced, but only in select browsers at this point of time. [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 16
Adobe Shockwave Player Now Installs Norton Security Scan
Bundling third party applications with your own software is not a new thing on the Internet. It is for instance quite common that you see the Ask Toolbar, Babylon Toolbar, or any other toolbar added to software installations. Users who do not pay attention to the installation are then not only installing the software they [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 7
Adobe Releases Another Flash Security Update
A security update for Adobe Flash Player has been released today that fixes several critical security vulnerabilities that Adobe identified in the software. Affected by vulnerabilities are all desktop versions of Adobe Flash Player 11.0.1.152 and earlier for Windows, Apple Macintosh, Linux and Solaris as well as Adobe Flash Player 11.0.1.153 or earlier versions for [...]
- Author: Mike Halsey MVP
- Comments: 6
Adobe Discontinue Flash for Mobile Devices
The world has been wondering what the next move would be in the stand-off between HTML5 and Adobe’s Flash Player. Apple has always resisted Flash on the iPhone and iPad demonstrating that it runs slowly on the Mac and citing security concerns, many of which are valid. Despite this Flash still has many fans and [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 13
Flash Player 11.2 Introduces Automatic Updates
If you are not running Google Chrome as your one and only browser on your PC system, you are probably tired of having to update Adobe’s Flash Player regularly to protect the system from security vulnerabilities. This could change soon with the release of Adobe’s Flash Player 11.2. The new version of Flash, currently available [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 11
Adobe Releases Flash Player 11, Air 3
Adobe software today has released the final versions of Adobe Flash Player 11 and Adobe Air 3. Probably the biggest feature of Flash Player 11 is hardware accelerated graphics rendering support through Stage 3D. Adobe states that the new technology improves rendering times by a factor of up to a 1000 times over Flash Player [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 4
Adobe Flash Player Security Update Available
Adobe yesterday evening released a security patch for Adobe Flash Player that fixes several critical security vulnerabilities. Affected are all versions of Adobe Flash Player 10.3.183.7 and earlier for all supported operating systems (Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Solaris) as well as Adobe Flash Player 10.3.186.6 and earlier for the Android operating system. According to Adobe, attackers [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 5
Microsoft, Adobe Ready Security Updates
It is the second Tuesday of the month again and this means security patch day at Microsoft and Adobe. Adobe has just released a security bulletin for Adobe Reader and Acrobat that fix several critical vulnerabilities in versions of the pdf software. Vulnerabilities affect Adobe Reader X and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh, Adobe [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 4
Adobe Security Updates August 2011
Adobe has synced their security release schedule with that of Microsoft. It is therefor not surprising that the company announced yesterday the availability of security updates for several of their products. Security updates were released for Adobe Shockwave Player, Flash Media Server, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Photoshop CS5 and RoboHelp. All security issues have received [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 4
Flash 11 Beta Brings 64-Bit Support To Windows
Adobe has recently released the first beta version of the upcoming Adobe Flash 11 version. The beta is publicly available, specifically for testing purposes and developers who want to integrate the new features into their applications. Probably the biggest new feature in the beta is native 64-bit support for 64-bit Windows operating systems. While still [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 4
Adobe Patch Day Brings Fixes For Flash, Shockwave And Adobe Reader
Microsoft had a huge patch day yesterday with 16 security bulletins for the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and other Microsoft software. Adobe, the company behind popular technologies such as Flash Player, Shockwave or Adobe Reader released five security bulletins on the same day after teaming up with Microsoft to coordinate security releases.. [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 10
Adobe Flash Player 10.3 Final Downloads
The integration of Adobe Flash Player 10.3 in the latest Google Chrome Stable release yesterday hinted already at the imminent release of the final version of Flash Player 10.3. This time, it took less than 24 hours; Adobe has enabled downloads for all supported operating systems, so that users can download and install Flash Player [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 2
Adobe Releases Flash Player Security Update
Adobe has released an update for Adobe Flash Player that fixes a critical security issue in the application that had been discovered earlier this month. The Google Chrome browser was the first that received a patch yesterday, followed today by all Flash Player versions for the web browsers that rely on a Flash installation and [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 10
Here We Go Again: Yet Another Flash 0-day Vulnerability Emerges
Flash player users, which is the majority of Internet users, do not come to rest in past years. There is seldom a month passing by without another Flash vulnerability. Adobe today released a security advisory warning for all Flash users that describes a critical security vulnerability in the popular software. Affected are more or less [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 3
Adobe Security Updates For Flash, Adobe Reader
Adobe has released updates for their popular Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat applications. The updates address a critical security vulnerability that was discoveredearlier this month. The critical vulnerability affects Adobe Flash, and since Adobe implemented Flash technology in Adobe Reader and Acrobat, those products as well. The Flash vulnerability affects all Adobe [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 5
New Critical 0-day Flash Vulnerability Exploited Via Excel Attachments
Adobe today has released a new security advisory for Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader and Acrobat. All three applications are affected by a critical 0-day vulnerability that is exploited via Excel email attachments. Vulnerable versions are Adobe Flash Player 10.2.154.33 and earlier for all supported desktop operating systems, Adobe Flash Player 10.1.106.16 and earlier for [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 10
A Close Look At Adobe Flash Player 10.3 Beta
Adobe’s Flash Player is one of the most installed technologies on desktop computer systems. Adobe estimates that more than 99% of Internet viewers have Flash installed on their system. Criticism of Adobe Flash, and Adobe’s handling of Flash related issues, has risen in past years. Major points of criticism include private and security related issues [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 3
Adobe Security Bulletin Summary Feburary 2011
Adobe Software yesterday released updates for some of its popular software applications, including updates for Adobe Reader, Acrobat and the Adobe Flash Player. The updates address critical security issues in the products making them mandatory updates for all users of said products. The security update for Adobe Flash Player fixes several critical vulnerability in Flash [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: None
Microsoft, Adobe Post February 2011 Patch Day Information
Patch Tuesday is coming up and Microsoft has released an advanced notification about the upcoming security patches. Patch Tuesday refers to the second Tuesday of each month on which security patches are released to the public. The Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for February 2011 details the upcoming patches. A total of 12 security bulletins [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 4
Adobe’s Flash Sandbox Not So Secure After All
The idea on paper sounded great: Add a sandbox to Adobe Flash to prevent many attacks from affecting the underlying operating system. It appears however that the sandbox which has been introduced in December 2010 is not as effective as it could be. Security researcher Billy Rios discovered a way to bypass Adobe’s Flash Player [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 9
Adobe Flash Player 10.2 Beta, Improves Hardware Acceleration
Adobe has just released a first beta version of the upcoming Flash Player 10.2 for all supported operating systems. The beta version introduces several new and enhanced features that may make it worthwhile for some users to try it out right now. One of the biggest addition in Adobe Flash Player 10.2 is improved hardware [...]
- Author: Mike Halsey MVP
- Comments: 6
Adobe Flash Player 10.2 beta Arrives
A new beta version of Adobe’s Flash player has arrived today and it offers compelling improved hardware acceleration technologies. The new player, which you can download here, offers “ A new method for video playback in Flash Player will allow developers to leverage complete hardware acceleration of the video rendering pipeline, enabling best-in-class playback performance. Stage [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 27
Adobe Reader X Offline Installers
If you do not like Adobe’s Download Manager, or want to distribute Adobe Reader to computer systems without direct Internet connection, then you may want to use or even need the Adobe Reader offline installers to do so. This guide explains where those offline installers of Adobe’s pdf reader can be downloaded. I’ll also include [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 14
Adobe Reader X Download Available
Adobe’s latest pdf reader Adobe Reader x has been released yesterday. Wait X? Why did Adobe move to Roman numerals? Maybe they have switched numerals to visualize the cut, or the beginning of a new era, for their product. Maybe it is just because they thing the X is cooler than the 10. Whatever the [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 2
Adobe Patches, And Reports New Vulnerabilities
Adobe’s Flash Player was updated yesterday fixing several security vulnerabilities in the process. The patch was initially slated for a November 9 release but released in advance yesterday. But Adobe Flash was not the only vulnerable Adobe product. Adobe has scheduled an update for their popular pdf readers Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat on November [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 5
New 0-day Adobe Vulnerabilities
It has been a bad year for Adobe’s security team, as Adobe products where hit with many critical security vulnerabilities in that time. The latest was just announced yesterday in a security advisory over at Adobe. The critical vulnerability affects both Adobe Flash Player versions 10.1.85.3 and earlier on all supported operating systems (that’s Windows, [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 7
Adobe Reader 9.4 Download Available
Adobe has just released an update for their popular pdf reader Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat, raising versions of the two programs to 9.4. Both program updates fix critical security vulnerabilities identified in Adobe Reader 9.3.4 and earlier, as well as Acrobat 9.3.4 and earlier. Vulnerabilities affect all supported operating systems, and users are encouraged [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 2
Flash Player Square Preview, 64-bit Support Included
Adobe yesterday has released a preview version of Flash Player Square, a new version of the popular browser plugin. This preview version adds two core new features to Adobe’s Flash Player, namely enhanced support for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 Beta which was also released yesterday, and native 64-bit support for all supported operating systems including [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 4
Adobe Hit By Yet Another Flash 0-day Exploit
Some time ago I made the decision to dump the two popular Adobe products Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader from my system. Since then, Adobe did not come to rest, as the company was hit by one 0-day exploit after the other. What made matters worse was the reaction time to fix the exploits, which [...]
- Author: Mike Halsey MVP
- Comments: 1
New Sex Worm spreads like it’s 1999
Ten years ago where were worms like Kournikova and I Love You that were infecting computers worldwide with malware and getting mainstream attention on the news. In that time operating systems and anti-malware programs have improved but now a new sex worm is making its way around the world according to the BBC. Some variants [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 4
Enforce Global Flash Player Security And Privacy Settings
Ghacks regulars know that it is possible to configure Adobe Reader from the settings manager page on the Macromedia website. System administrators and security experts have addressed two problems with the online availability of the settings manager. Attackers can for instance fake certificates to make changes to the settings. Another problem is that it is [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 5
Adobe Reader 9.3.4 Released, Update Now
Adobe in a security advisory yesterday released new versions of their popular pdf reading applications Adobe Reader and Acrobat. Adobe Reader 9.3.3, which was released less than a month ago, is replaced by version 9.3.4. Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.3.4 fix several critical security vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader 9.3.3 and earlier for Windows, Macintosh and [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 8
Microsoft, Adobe, Release Massive Amount Of Security Patches
Today is the second Tuesday of the month and that means it is Microsoft Patch Day. Microsoft is keeping a tight schedule when it comes to security patches. If they are not heavily exploited or very critical they are released on the second Tuesday of each month. Today’s patch day is already available via the [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 2
Another Adobe Reader Zero-Day Vulnerability Emerges
What is it with Adobe Reader and vulnerabilities? It feels like new security vulnerabilities are found in the software at an accelerated pace this year. Adobe yesterday released a security advisory for Adobe Reader and Acrobat, to announce to the world that critical security vulnerabilities have been found – once again – in Adobe Reader [...]
- Author: Mike Halsey MVP
- Comments: 2
iPhone / iPad Security Flaw Risk
Hackers have moved in the last few years away from attacking platforms such as Windows, and instead on to attacking software. This is in a large part because the security of operating systems such as Microsoft Windows have increased incredibly in recent years while other software companies have remained complacent. The latest threat is another [...]
- Author: Mike Halsey MVP
- Comments: 1
Adobe / Microsoft to team up on Vulnerability Sharing
Microsoft has announced that it’s to extend it’s Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) to include vulnerability sharing information from Adobe. The programme, launched in October 2008 allows sharing of information about security vulnerabilities with security software vendors. So far 65 companies have signed up to the scheme.
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 3
Apple Leads In Security Vulnerabilities, Microsoft Third
Apple software had more reported security vulnerabilities than any other company in the first half of 2010, according to security company Secunia, a reputable security company that tracks security vulnerabilities since 2002. Last years leader, Oracle, dropped to second spot while Microsoft managed to retain the third spot firmly in the last five years. Adobe [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 9
How To Uninstall Flash Player Completely
The uninstallation of Flash Player can sometimes be problematic, and not as easy as clicking on the uninstall button. The first thing that Windows users should note for instance is that there are two versions of the Flash Player plugin available, one for Internet Explorer, the other for the remaining web browsers such as Firefox, [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 16
Adobe Offering Insecure Adobe Reader Version For Download, Beware
Adobe just recently released updates to their pdf reader Adobe Reader, raising its version to 9.3.3. The update fixed several security issues of which at least one was actively exploited in the wild. Computer users who visit the Adobe website might notice that Adobe is not offering that version for download, anywhere on the page. [...]


