Facebook security chief: Flash should be phased out

Adobe should phase out Flash. So says the well-known security expert Alex Stamos, who is the chief security officer of Facebook. Vulnerabilities in Flash are often exploited by malicious parties to install malware.

According to Stamos, who until recently had the same role at Yahoo, must agree a date with Adobe and the browser makers after which Flash will no longer work. This would improve the entire ecosystem on the internet, Stamos says.

While Stamos won’t comment on its rationale, it’s probably mainly due to security vulnerabilities in the software. Like Java, Flash is used by malicious parties to install malware. This is possible, for example, with the help of so-called exploit kits, which can be hidden in banners and which try to abuse a range of security vulnerabilities.

For example, last week a security vulnerability in Flash was exploited for which no solution was even available, and that was found in the files that were leaked from security company Hacking Team. Last weekend it appeared that several security vulnerabilities were used in an attack on NATO member states, Ars Technica reported. This involved a Java and two Flash vulnerabilities.