10-16-2020 , 10:52 PM
https://news.softpedia.com/news/microsof...1357.shtml
Microsoft Edge 88 Is Ready for the Death of Flash Player
Edge 88 is due in January, at which point Flash will be dead
Oct 16, 2020 18:07 GMT · By Bogdan Popa ·
Adobe has already announced that Flash Player would go dark in December 2020, so all the other browsers out there that come with this component are getting ready for this major software retirement.
Microsoft itself is also preparing for the demise of Flash Player, and according to a report from DeskModder, the company is already working on paving the way for the change in its browser.
Microsoft Edge 88, which is currently in the Canary channel, no longer receives updates for Flash Player components, whereas the Dev, Beta, and Stable builds have all been updated recently in this regard. In other words, Microsoft Edge 88 is likely to be the first Edge release coming without Flash Player, with all versions to be released after that to no longer include Adobe’s software either.
Microsoft Edge 88 is projected to reach the beta channel on December 7, while the stable build is supposed to go live six weeks later on January 21. In other words, Adobe Flash Player would live on just for a few more months in Microsoft Edge, so it’s now just a matter of time until the component is pulled once and for all.
Microsoft has already announced in September that Flash Player would be removed from its browsers in January next year, so the release of Edge 88 aligns with this schedule.
“After December 2020, you will no longer receive “Security Update for Adobe Flash Player” from Microsoft that applies to Microsoft Edge Legacy and Internet Explorer 11. Beginning in January 2021, Adobe Flash Player will be disabled by default and all versions older than KB4561600 released in June 2020 will be blocked. Downloadable resources related to Adobe Flash Player that are hosted on Microsoft websites will no longer be available,” Microsoft says.
Needless to say, everybody is recommended to keep their browsers fully up to date. Without security patches, vulnerabilities in Flash Player would just remain unfixed, and given Adobe’s software has so far been one of the applications most often exposed to attacks, it’s pretty clear that the risk of potential exploits is getting higher after the end of support.
Microsoft explains that security patches would only continue to be provided until December 2020, at which point the company will just pull Flash Player from all its applications. And the whole thing will happen via Windows Update, as the company will publish an OS update that will take care of this task on Windows devices.
“An update titled “Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player” will be made available via Microsoft Update Catalog, Windows Update and WSUS that permanently removes Adobe Flash Player as a component of the Windows OS devices. If you wish to remove Adobe Flash Player from your systems ahead of the end of support, this will be available for download on the Microsoft Update Catalog in the Fall of 2020. The update will be made optional on Windows Update and WSUS in early 2021 and will be made recommended a few months later. It should be noted that this update will be permanent and cannot be un-installed,” the company explains.
Adobe originally announced its decision to remove Flash Player back in 2017, so the world had some three years to prepare for the change. Microsoft, Google, and others gradually paved the way for the demise of Flash in their applications, with browsers dropping key capabilities in stages, thus giving developers more time to plan their next move.
“In Summer of 2021, all the APIs, group policies and user interfaces that specifically govern the behavior of Adobe Flash Player will be removed from Microsoft Edge (legacy) and Internet Explorer 11 via the latest “Cumulative Update” on Windows 10 platforms and via “Cumulative Update for Internet Explorer 11” or “Monthly Rollup” on Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard. Also, the “Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player” will be included as part of the “Cumulative Update” and “Monthly Rollup” this point forward. If you are working with Adobe for continued support, you should not be impacted by these changes,” Microsoft concludes.
Microsoft Edge 88 Is Ready for the Death of Flash Player
Edge 88 is due in January, at which point Flash will be dead
Oct 16, 2020 18:07 GMT · By Bogdan Popa ·
Adobe has already announced that Flash Player would go dark in December 2020, so all the other browsers out there that come with this component are getting ready for this major software retirement.
Microsoft itself is also preparing for the demise of Flash Player, and according to a report from DeskModder, the company is already working on paving the way for the change in its browser.
Microsoft Edge 88, which is currently in the Canary channel, no longer receives updates for Flash Player components, whereas the Dev, Beta, and Stable builds have all been updated recently in this regard. In other words, Microsoft Edge 88 is likely to be the first Edge release coming without Flash Player, with all versions to be released after that to no longer include Adobe’s software either.
Microsoft Edge 88 is projected to reach the beta channel on December 7, while the stable build is supposed to go live six weeks later on January 21. In other words, Adobe Flash Player would live on just for a few more months in Microsoft Edge, so it’s now just a matter of time until the component is pulled once and for all.
Microsoft has already announced in September that Flash Player would be removed from its browsers in January next year, so the release of Edge 88 aligns with this schedule.
“After December 2020, you will no longer receive “Security Update for Adobe Flash Player” from Microsoft that applies to Microsoft Edge Legacy and Internet Explorer 11. Beginning in January 2021, Adobe Flash Player will be disabled by default and all versions older than KB4561600 released in June 2020 will be blocked. Downloadable resources related to Adobe Flash Player that are hosted on Microsoft websites will no longer be available,” Microsoft says.
Needless to say, everybody is recommended to keep their browsers fully up to date. Without security patches, vulnerabilities in Flash Player would just remain unfixed, and given Adobe’s software has so far been one of the applications most often exposed to attacks, it’s pretty clear that the risk of potential exploits is getting higher after the end of support.
Microsoft explains that security patches would only continue to be provided until December 2020, at which point the company will just pull Flash Player from all its applications. And the whole thing will happen via Windows Update, as the company will publish an OS update that will take care of this task on Windows devices.
“An update titled “Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player” will be made available via Microsoft Update Catalog, Windows Update and WSUS that permanently removes Adobe Flash Player as a component of the Windows OS devices. If you wish to remove Adobe Flash Player from your systems ahead of the end of support, this will be available for download on the Microsoft Update Catalog in the Fall of 2020. The update will be made optional on Windows Update and WSUS in early 2021 and will be made recommended a few months later. It should be noted that this update will be permanent and cannot be un-installed,” the company explains.
Adobe originally announced its decision to remove Flash Player back in 2017, so the world had some three years to prepare for the change. Microsoft, Google, and others gradually paved the way for the demise of Flash in their applications, with browsers dropping key capabilities in stages, thus giving developers more time to plan their next move.
“In Summer of 2021, all the APIs, group policies and user interfaces that specifically govern the behavior of Adobe Flash Player will be removed from Microsoft Edge (legacy) and Internet Explorer 11 via the latest “Cumulative Update” on Windows 10 platforms and via “Cumulative Update for Internet Explorer 11” or “Monthly Rollup” on Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard. Also, the “Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player” will be included as part of the “Cumulative Update” and “Monthly Rollup” this point forward. If you are working with Adobe for continued support, you should not be impacted by these changes,” Microsoft concludes.
