It has been known for some time that the days of Adobe’s Flash are numbered. After various browsers had deactivated the player by default in the past, Adobe is now officially discontinuing support. The company also advises all users to uninstall the program. Microsoft even provides its users with a corresponding tool for deinstallation under Windows 10 Available. When the update KB 4577586 is installed, the player is automatically uninstalled and a new installation is blocked.

The first version of Flash was released in 1997 and enjoyed great success in the years that followed Popularity. Various intros, videos or other animated graphics were found on a large number of websites. However, Flash Player kept making headlines with its numerous security gaps.

Due to its large user base, Flash aroused the interest of cyber criminals who specifically exploit vulnerabilities to infect computers with malware or viruses. Adobe also failed to provide updates in a timely manner in order to close said security holes.

This had the consequence that even the Stiftung Warentest last year advised to uninstall the Flash Player from your own system and not to use it in the future. Voices from the browser providers were already loud in advance, demanding that the player be completely stopped.

Google also punished website operators in its search ad who relied on the technology. This should also ensure that the HTML5 web standard is used instead of the Flash Player. With the introduction of the mentioned standard, it is possible to use specific elements for the integration of audio and video files. The simple integration of SVG and MathML into the HTML source text is also possible with HTML5, among other things.