Latest Adobe Flash vulnerability appears in exploit kits
Security experts ask: is it time to just cut Flash loose?
The latest zero-day vulnerability affecting Adobe's Flash Player has ended up in online exploit kits.
Many, many zero-day flaws exist for Flash Player, but the latest discovered by security firm FireEye, is already being used in Magnitude and Angler EK exploit kits, as discovered by threat researcher Kafeine of Malware Don't Need Coffee.
The bug AKA CVE-2015-3113 - has already been patched by Adobe, and the fix can be downloaded from the company's website, but users must act fast so they don't fall victim to hackers armed with the malware kits.
The latest in an increasingly long string of Flash Player security holes, the bug has already targeted Internet Explorer for Windows 7 and below, and Firefox for Windows XP, according to reports.
Adobe has designated its patch a high priority, but Linux is classified as a slightly lower risk.
However, flaws like this are becoming more and more common for Adobe Flash, and some security experts are suggesting that it would be wiser to simply ditch the software altogether.
Analyst Brian Krebs wrote in a blog post that "it might be worth considering whether you really need to keep Flash Player installed at all", stating that he barely missed it after foregoing the common plug-in for a month.
Mark James, security specialist at IT security firm ESET, called Adobe Flash "one of the most targeted apps for vulnerability". He added: "If you want to affect as many people as possible then you need an application that a lot of users use and Flash is one of them".
Security firm Bromium's Clinton Karr noted that this newest exploit "illustrates why internet content is so untrustworthy". He called it "a greenfield for hackers with no end in sight".
The consensus among the security community is that these patches should be deployed as soon as possible, but given the increasing frequency with which they are required, it seems like it may not be long before Adobe's Flash Player is a bigger risk than it is a benefit.
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