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Is Flash safe?

peterball1950
peterball1950 Posts: 4 Newbie
Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Combo Breaker
in Techie Stuff
Ive read many articles about how insecure flash is, so dont have it on my win7 PC.
However now I have downloaded scratch to let my grandson do coding, and to
use it it points me to a flash download.
Am I safe if I download flash?
Pete

Comments

  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    peterball1950 wrote: »
    Ive read many articles about how insecure flash is, so dont have it on my win7 PC.
    However now I have downloaded scratch to let my grandson do coding, and to
    use it it points me to a flash download.
    Am I safe if I download flash?
    Pete

    You are safe downloading it.

    It is insecure yes that's true so don't set up a banking site using it. No bank uses flash to use their website so that's not a problem.

    With anything you do online you must always be careful. Never enter personal details online. Use different passwords for every site you use especially your banking password and your email password must be different to the password you use answering a survey which might be fishing for your password by offering something for free in return for a few answers on a questionnaire but requires you to register for an account. I set up fake details for surveys similar to my own name but intentionally misspelt. It's amazing how many calls I get on my SIP phone.

    Never use your mobile number except just for your banking.

    I use SipGate Basic and set up a personal number which I use for everything I do not wish to get a call from. Every call goes to answer phone and I get an email of the voicemail....just in case it's important. Most telemarketers just hang up.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • Strider590
    Strider590 Posts: 11,874 Forumite
    It's only unsafe (potentially) if your visiting dodgy websites.
    “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”

    <><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><> Don't forget to like and subscribe \/ \/ \/
  • peterball1950
    peterball1950 Posts: 4 Newbie
    Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Combo Breaker
    Are you saying that if my grandson mistypes a url and lands on a dodgy website
    there are security issues for my pc?
  • Strider590
    Strider590 Posts: 11,874 Forumite
    peterball1950 wrote: »
    Are you saying that if my grandson mistypes a url and lands on a dodgy website
    there are security issues for my pc?

    Typing URLs? I must have done that all of once in the last 6 months.

    The internet and indeed most of the popular search engines are so sanitised now that opening links presented by them is highly unlikely to get you onto a dodgy site.
    “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”

    <><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><> Don't forget to like and subscribe \/ \/ \/
  • AndyPix
    AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Flash in its-self is safe to use. It doesn't in-its self leak you data or anything like that.
    The problem lies, when people discover vulnerabilities in it, and create exploits that use that vulnerability.


    Then they send those exploits at you in the form of dodgy email attachments or sometimes on hacked or other dubious websites.


    You will be ok using it- but just bear in mind these facts, keep it up to date, and follow normal protocol when dealing with emails you weren't expecting etc.


    Andy
  • JJ_Egan
    JJ_Egan Posts: 20,281 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    peterball1950 wrote: »
    Are you saying that if my grandson mistypes a url and lands on a dodgy website
    there are security issues for my pc?


    Yes with or without flash .
  • mr_fishbulb
    mr_fishbulb Posts: 5,224 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Staying away from dodgy websites is all well and good, but nowadays any website can potentially infect your machine.

    Take what happened to Jamie Oliver's website - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31520407 - malicious code was uploaded to the website and then served to visitors.

    Or when Match.com wasn't infected itself, but the one of the 3rd party adverts was malicious - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34138247

    Both of these are non-dodgy websites, but both could have infected a visitor's machine.
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