Patch also available for the other Windows versions

Nov 21, 2018 08:26 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has released an out-of-band security update for supported Windows versions in order to address a vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player.

Windows 10 users are getting update KB4477029 from Windows Update and via the Microsoft Update Catalog here. All Windows 10 versions are affected by the found Flash Player vulnerabilities and users are recommended to install the patch as soon as possible.

Adobe explains in APSB18-44 that the security vulnerability it fixes with this out-of-band patch is rated as critical and it could allow arbitrary code execution.

“Adobe has released security updates for Adobe Flash Player for Windows, macOS, Linux and Chrome OS. These updates address a critical vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player 31.0.0.148 and earlier versions. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user,” the company explains.

Windows, Linux, and macOS are all affected. Windows 8.1 users also need to update their systems as soon as possible given that Flash Player is baked into Internet Explorer 11.

Make sure you’re running the latest version

As one of the most vulnerable software products out there, Adobe Flash Player will be retired in 2020, and Microsoft and its partners are now supporting the transition to alternative technologies. Despite being offered as a built-in Microsoft Edge tool, Flash Player content can be blocked within Windows browsers, and several other browser developers implemented similar tools to protect users when browsing the web.

Users who want to make sure they are protected against the recently-discovered vulnerabilities need to check they are running Flash Player version 31.0.0.153.

At the time of writing this article, the Flash Player update seems to install correctly on Windows 10. There are concerns that Windows patches shipped on Windows Update could fail to install or cause other problems, but fortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case this time, so you can patch as soon as possible.