Adobe Releases Flash Player Update to Patch Security Holes as Apple Blocks Earlier Versions

As noted by Ars Technica, Adobe late yesterday issued a security bulletin announcing that it was releasing updates to Flash Player in order to address a pair of security vulnerabilities targeting Mac and Windows users.

Adobe is also aware of reports that CVE-2013-0634 is being exploited in the wild in attacks delivered via malicious Flash (SWF) content hosted on websites that target Flash Player in Firefox or Safari on the Macintosh platform, as well as attacks designed to trick Windows users into opening a Microsoft Word document delivered as an email attachment which contains malicious Flash (SWF) content.

Users can manually download the new 11.5.502.149 version of Flash Player from Adobe's site, or those who have specified that Adobe may update Flash Player automatically may simply allow it to do so.

In response to the issue, Apple has updated its Xprotect anti-malware system to enforce new minimum version requirements blocking all previous versions of Flash Player. Apple has used the system several times over the past month to block vulnerable versions of Java.

flash_player_blocked_mac
Apple has also posted a new support document addressing the issue and explaining to users how to update Flash Player when they discover that the plug-in has been blocked.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
ipad pro 2024

Gurman: New iPad Pro and MacBook Pro Models With M5 Chips to Launch Later This Year

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:06 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...

Top Rated Comments

autrefois Avatar
159 months ago
Apple needs to stop blocking software. If they want to display a warning, fine. But for people who rely on their computers to do actual work, it isn't acceptable for them to keep disabling software that many people use and need on a daily basis. Inform people of the vulnerability and give them the option of disabling it.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Saladinos Avatar
159 months ago
This is why Apple have been fighting for a plugin-free web.

It's certainly cost them sales (not having flash and to a lesser extent Java on iOS devices, for example), but it's worth it. I'm glad they didn't take the easy road.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scaredpoet Avatar
159 months ago
Tried to open the download link.
"Your Google Chrome browser already includes Adobe® Flash® Player built-in. Google Chrome will automatically update when new versions of Flash Player are available." :cool:

Yeah, all versions of Chrome come with an internalized Flash instance separate from the OS. So, for someone like autrefois who wants to run an insecure plugin, they can just use Chrome.

Funny how the devs do this for Flash, but continue to take a stand against a real standard like H.264. :rolleyes:

Apple needs to stop blocking software.

No, people need to stop making users "do actual work" using poor platform choices and insecure software. Flash and Java's times are over. I'm glad Apple is doing this, because it highlights the fact that these plugins need to go.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ricanlegend Avatar
159 months ago
Does anybody use flash anymore ? I been blocking flash for 4 years
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
159 months ago
Total Poetry Time®

Flash, Flash, why do you crash?

My poor keyboard, you make me smash.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JaySoul Avatar
159 months ago
Flash, Flash, why do you crash?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)