• Summary: Ubuntu PC maker System76 will stop installing Adobe Flash on its laptops and desktops as it considers the software too dangerous and no longer necessary. It was previously licensed to pre-install Flash but now notes that web content generally works well without it and Flash has security problems. This week, Adobe issued an emergency update for Flash Player to patch two critical zero-day vulnerabilities. Firefox blacklisted the vulnerable version but users can update Flash. Some, like Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos, advocate getting rid of Flash altogether. System76 recommended uninstalling Flash by running a specific command and also suggested using Chrome if truly needed as it has a sandboxed embedded Flash implementation. However, a Flash zero-day exploit managed to bypass Chrome's defenses until Google patched it.
• Key Information: System76's decision to stop installing Flash, Adobe's emergency update for Flash Player, Firefox's blacklisting, Alex Stamos' call to end Flash, System76's uninstall recommendation and its mention of Chrome.
• Important Details: Details about the license granted to System76 in 2007, the specific zero-day vulnerabilities patched by Adobe, and the fact that a Flash zero-day exploit got through Chrome initially.