(Jennifer Abel @ ConsumerAffairs) Adobe has released a security update which you need to apply at once, especially if you ever visit Tumblr, eBay, Instagram or pretty much any website using Adobe Flash.
The security patch is in response to “Rosetta Flash,” a software exploit which security blogger and Google engineer Michele Spagnuolo discovered. Spagnuolo said Rosetta Flash is “a tool for converting any SWF file to one composed of only alphanumeric characters in order to abuse JSONP endpoints, making a victim perform arbitrary requests to the domain with the vulnerable endpoint and infiltrate potentially sensitive data, not limited to JSONP responses, to an attacker-controlled site. This is a CSRF bypassing Same Origin Policy.”
Translation, courtesy of Gizmodo: “Basically, the flaw … made it possible for hackers to steal the cookies that authenticate returning users on sites like eBay, Twitter, Tumblr, and thousands more.”
Adobe quickly responded by releasing an updated version of Flash to patch the vulnerability.
Even so, some Adobe users might not be protected unless they take active steps to ensure it. As security blogger Brian Krebs noted:
Flash has a built-in auto-updater, but you might wait days or weeks for it to prompt you to update, regardless of its settings. The most recent versions of Flash are available from the Adobe download center, but beware potentially unwanted add-ons, like McAfee Security Scan. To avoid this, uncheck the pre-checked box before downloading, or grab your OS-specific Flash download from here.
Windows users who browse the Web with anything other than Internet Explorer may need to apply this patch twice, once with IE and again using the alternative browser (Firefox, Opera, e.g.).
If you haven't updated your Adobe Flash yet, stop reading and go do it, right now.
Security updates available for Adobe Flash Player
Vulnerability identifier: APSB14-17
Priority: See table below
CVE number: CVE-2014-0537, CVE-2014-0539, CVE-2014-4671
Platform: All Platforms
Summary
Adobe has released security updates for Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh and Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.378 and earlier versions for Linux. These updates address vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. Adobe recommends users update their product installations to the latest versions:
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Users of Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh should update to Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.145.
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Users of Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.378 and earlier versions for Linux should update to Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.394.
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Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 installed with Google Chrome will automatically be updated to the latest Google Chrome version, which will include Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.145 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux.
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Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 installed with Internet Explorer 10 will automatically be updated to the latest Internet Explorer 10 version, which will include Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.145 for Windows 8.0.
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Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 installed with Internet Explorer 11 will automatically be updated to the latest Internet Explorer 11 version, which will include Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.145 for Windows 8.1.
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Users of the Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 SDK and earlier versions should update to the Adobe AIR 14.0.0.137 SDK.
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Users of the Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 SDK & Compiler and earlier versions should update to the Adobe AIR 14.0.0.137 SDK & Compiler.
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Users of Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 and earlier versions for Android should update to Adobe AIR 14.0.0.137.
Affected software versions
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Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh
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Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.378 and earlier versions for Linux
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Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 SDK and earlier versions
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Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 SDK & Compiler and earlier versions
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Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 and earlier versions for Android
To verify the version of Adobe Flash Player installed on your system, access the About Flash Player page, or right-click on content running in Flash Player and select "About Adobe (or Macromedia) Flash Player" from the menu. If you use multiple browsers, perform the check for each browser you have installed on your system.
To verify the version of Adobe AIR installed on your system, follow the instructions in the Adobe AIRTechNote.
Solution
Adobe recommends users update their software installations by following the instructions
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Adobe recommends users of Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh update to the newest version 14.0.0.145 by downloading it from the Adobe Flash Player Download Center, or via the update mechanism within the product when prompted.
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Adobe recommends users of Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.378 and earlier versions for Linux update to Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.394 by downloading it from the Adobe Flash Player Download Center.
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Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 installed with Google Chrome will automatically be updated to the latest Google Chrome version, which will include Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.145 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux.
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For users of Flash Player 14.0.0.125 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh, who cannot update to Flash Player 14.0.0.145, Adobe has made available Flash Player 13.0.0.231, which can be downloaded from http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/archived-flash-player-versions.html.
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Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 installed with Internet Explorer 10 will automatically be updated to the latest Internet Explorer 10 version, which will include Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.145 for Windows 8.0.
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Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 installed with Internet Explorer 11 will automatically be updated to the latest Internet Explorer 11 version, which will include Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.145 for Windows 8.1.
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Users of the Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 SDK should update to the Adobe AIR 14.0.0.137 SDK.
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Users of the Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 SDK & Compiler and earlier versions should update to the Adobe AIR 14.0.0.137 SDK & Compiler.
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Users of Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 and earlier versions for Android should update to Adobe AIR 14.0.0.137.
Adobe categorizes these updates with the following priority ratings and recommends users update their installation to the newest version: