Adobe Flash is about to be Retired. Will it Impact Your Business?

Once December 31st ushers in 2021, support for the once-popular Adobe Flash Player will officially end. Naturally, it isn’t every day that a 24-year-old software is taken out of commission, so it only makes sense to wonder how much this will impact businesses.

Hopefully, It Won’t

Flash Player and other software based on Flash have been mostly phased out over the past ten years or so, so it was just a matter of time before Flash Player was officially retired. Moreover, Flash has also experienced some security problems, leading to the major players—Google, Microsoft, and Apple—essentially leaving it behind as well.

Thus, while this news isn’t unexpected, it does still warrant saying that Flash was a huge part of what shaped the Internet that we know today. On the other hand, nostalgia aside, the retired software needs to be removed from all systems to prevent it from becoming a vulnerability in your network.

Just as is the case with any software that will no longer be supported, Flash Player will not be reinforced against any future threats. This will effectively turn it into an exploit that a hacker could utilize to introduce a larger threat into your business’ infrastructure.

Luckily, all it takes to avoid this outcome is to properly update your IT away from any Flash-based software.

Macro Systems can help with this, as well as so much more. For assistance with your IT management, maintenance, and security, give us a call at 703-359-9211.