Is Adobe Flash Player safely useable now?

[Old Sparky]

I ask the question because there are some BBC Radio Programs I'd like to catch up with via the I-player, and the site states 'You need to install Adobe Flash Player to listen to this content'  This seems odd to me, as I understood that the Beeb were  moving to something other than Flash Player.  Presumably I'd get the same message if I used another browser, e.g. Chrome, instead of Firefox?

[ppppenguin]

None of us would use Flash given a choice. Unfortunately the BBC hasn't completely moved to HTML5.

This might help, to make your desktop PC look like a mobile device which will then be served with HTML5.
https://unop.uk/dev/how-to-watch-bbc-new...out-flash/

[Radio Fixer]

What is so bad about Flash please? Adobe has been a respected player on the computer scene for as long as I remember.

thanks Gary

[ppppenguin]

Adobe may be a respected company but Flash has more security holes than a sieve. Loads of stuff online about it. Here are just a couple of many:

http://krebsonsecurity.com/tag/adobe-flash-player/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/14/...ity_holes/

[Radio Fixer]

I couldn't see how to disable it in W7 only remover it.

Interesting to me how the hackers get to your computer via it. If its not in use, only used occasionally, and you are careful about what e-mails you open, what sites you use, you have anti virus and your ISP filters as well then how do they do it?

Is the risk over blown as with so many things?

thanks Gary

[ppppenguin]

Flash is an add on to the browser, not the OS. So in Firefox you go to TOOLS>ADD-ONS>PLUGINS where you can always activate, ask to activate or ever activate.

I don't know how hackers do their evil deeds but I don't like having flash on my PC. Fortuantely I haven't yet been infected. Don't know how many real life exploits there have been via flash but the risk is real enough. AV etc will help to protect you but aren't foolproof.

[Refugee]

I use Noscript to block flash and it always asks and allows me to set it to open without asking on trusted websites.

[Radio Fixer]

Is it possible that hackers could imitate a genuine Adobe update?

Gary