What damage can adobe flash player do to a linux machine?

[aloprot]

'A critical vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player 10.1.82.76 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Solaris, and Adobe Flash Player 10.1.92.10 for Android. This vulnerability also affects Adobe Reader 9.3.4 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX, and Adobe Acrobat 9.3.4 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh. This vulnerability (CVE-2010-2884) could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.'

http://www.adobe.com/support/securit...apsb10-22.html


From here I draw the conclusion that this can happen to linux too. So why the irony?

[tomtiger40]

Hi, I hope I posted in the right section, if not I kindly ask a moderator to move it where it belongs(I didn't find the section). Like the title says I would like to know what damage can adobe flash player can actually do to a linux machine. Right now I am running ubuntu 10.10 and flash player. I have read adobe system security buletin and saw a lot of vulnerabilities cross platform and linux is affected too. But I'm curious, what can this vulnerabilities do to your linux machine. I don't like it but unfortunately I have to use it because I go to a lot of websites with flash content and gnash can't help me, yet.
Thank you very much!

i didn't think that flash damaged any computer

[matt_symes]

Hi,

dcstar is correct. Remember Linux is not windows. To answer your question, _any_ computer can be infected with a virus. _However_, running Linux without root privilages is going to make it next to _impossible_ to get a virus unless you install it yourself. One cannot make computers idiot proof. One can only put enough safe guards in place to help a user protect them self. As for the picture, Maybe the poster was trying to make you laugh. It made me chuckle.

Kind regards

[nerdy_kid]

I suppose a security flaw could allow his account to be compromised though? I think that you are safe there as well if you use chrome with all its process isolation and all that. But, I really wouldn't be worried. Like everyone else said, it is basically impossible to get a virus from flash on linux unless you are running it as root.

[maureenc]

I am a very new Ubuntu user....

I decided to load Ubuntu after my main hard drive was corrupted following a download of an Adobe Acrobat update o Windows XP...

This week my OH's Vista laptop has also "died" after he downloaded an update of Adobe Acrobat...

I've come to this thread because I wanted to find out if I am safe to load the latest (?) Flash player so that I can make full use of the BBC sports section.....

Can I assume that I will be about as safe as possible loading Adobe to Linux?

Thanks for your help...... Mo

[nerdy_kid]

I am a very new Ubuntu user....

I decided to load Ubuntu after my main hard drive was corrupted following a download of an Adobe Acrobat update o Windows XP...

This week my OH's Vista laptop has also "died" after he downloaded an update of Adobe Acrobat...

I've come to this thread because I wanted to find out if I am safe to load the latest (?) Flash player so that I can make full use of the BBC sports section.....

Can I assume that I will be about as safe as possible loading Adobe to Linux?

Thanks for your help...... Mo

your as safe as you can get If you are really worried, then use google chrome as your browser. It is basically impossible for a linux system to be destroyed by adobe flash. Just don't run your browser as root (if you don't know what I am talking about then you are not running it as root so dont worry).

[uRock]

There are quite a few flash vulnerabilities. Use NoScript add-on in Firefox. Please read this very informative thread to learn more about Ubuntu's security and how to properly implement it. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=510812

[dcstar]

.......
Like everyone else said, it is basically impossible to get a virus from flash on Linux unless you are running it as root.

And the "virus" is specifically written to execute on a Linux platform.

This is the whole point people seem to miss when getting hysterical about media reports of all these threats, any code that gets run by these vulnerabilities usually has to be OS specific - and guess what OS has the overwhelming mass of attacks because it is so inherently insecure?

Yes, Flash can have some common vulnerabilities across platforms but that only opens a crack in door that OS specific code might be able to run in, and what do you all think the percentage of Linux to Windows code hacks will be written and put out in the wild?

[maureenc]

Thank you Nerdy_kid, Urock and dcstar for you replies, much appreciated.

Urock - I've bookmarked that thread and will read it ASAP..... Thank you.....

Should I load Flash before I install the "No Script" or won't it make any difference?

Cheers,
Mo

[nerdy_kid]

Thank you Nerdy_kid, Urock and dcstar for you replies, much appreciated.

Urock - I've bookmarked that thread and will read it ASAP..... Thank you.....

Should I load Flash before I install the "No Script" or won't it make any difference?

Cheers,
Mo

noscript will just kill flash, so if you want to use flash you have to disable noscript temporarily anyway. I saw just install it. If you get a virus, post here and you'll be famous