On Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, Adobe Flash Player will reach “End-of-Life” (EOL) status. This means the program will no longer be distributed, supported, or updated by Adobe. The lack of available security updates after the EOL date means that continued use of Flash Player would not only pose a significant security threat to University devices and networks, but would also violate University data security policy.
Adobe Flash was integral in advancing interactivity and creative content on the Internet, including video and games. Today, many other Web standards provide the capabilities that 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 Adobe Flash Player security vulnerabilities, on Dec. 21, the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) will begin removing Flash from all University machines.
If you are impacted by the removal of Adobe Flash, please contact the ITS Help Desk who will review your situation and work with you on a solution.
Major browsers began phasing out support for Flash years ago. By default, Flash Player is disabled in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. By the end of 2020, no major browsers are expected to continue supporting Flash content.
Any users who have installed the Flash Player application on their personal devices should also remove it by the EOL date. Do not to try to download unauthorized copies of Flash Player from third-party sites where it may continue to be available, as those unofficial copies are a likely source of malware and cannot receive updates against future security threats.
Details about uninstalling the Flash Player application for personal devices can be found by visiting Adobe’s Webpages Uninstall Flash Player | Windows or Uninstall Flash Player | Mac OS.
By CSI Technology Services
