Adobe Flash End-of-Life

Adobe has announced it will end support for the Adobe Flash Player on the 31st December 2020. This includes releasing security updates for the once popular content platform.

Adobe Flash was integral in advancing interactivity and creative content on the internet, including video and games. Nowadays, many other web standards now provide the capabilities which once only Flash supported and most modern popular web browsers such as Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge have already stopped supporting Flash.

To address the security vulnerabilities left by the Adobe Flash Player being unsupported, Information Technology and Digital Services (ITDS) will begin removing Flash from all University machines from 5th October 2020.

If you are impacted by the removal of Adobe Flash, please contact the ITDS Service Desk who will review your situation and work with you on a solution. 

  • University Computers

    To ensure Adobe Flash is removed from all University computers before 31st December 2020, ITDS will begin removing Adobe Flash from all University machines, including Windows and Mac devices from 5th October 2020.

  • Personal Computers

    ITDS advises you remove Adobe Flash from your personal device. This will remove any security vulnerabilities in Flash once Adobe stops supporting and updating Flash.

    Adobe has detailed guides on how to best do this:

    You can view Adobe’s website to see how to remove Adobe Flash from Windows devices or remove Adobe Flash from Mac devices.

  • Other Information

    Once ITDS removes flash from University devices, if you need to use an Adobe Flashed based website between now and the end of support date, you can safely install and use Google Chrome which has Adobe Flash built in, however this functionality will also end on 31sth December 2020. On University devices, Google Chrome is available for install within Software Center and Mac Self Service (MSS).

    Adobe Flash has no alternative options for running past 31st December 2020. If a website you use or host requires Flash, you should contact the website owner about their plans to redevelop their website, tool or application.

    Downloads of Adobe Flash are commonly linked to malware and could compromise your computer. We expect an increase in fraudulent Adobe Flash related options after the end of support date. Adobe has stated that once support ends, “No, these versions of Flash Player are not authorised by Adobe. Customers should not use unauthorised versions of Flash Player.  Unauthorised downloads are a common source of malware and viruses”

    If you would like to read more information, Adobe has a dedicated website with information about Flash end-of-life. They also have a blog post detailing their plans.

    If you use or have content on MyUni, Learning Enhancement and Innovation have a detailed blog post with more information. 

     

  • Contact Us

    If you need any assistance removing Adobe Flash from your device, please contact the ITDS Service Desk on 08 8313 3000 or log a request via the MyIT Portal.