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Securing Adobe Flash Player

Last modified: 2011-12-25 12:45:48 EET

Adobe Flash Player can be used for accessing web cameras and microphones connected to your computer, store cookies plus infamous supercookies and data on your computer's hard drive and even upload content to other users. Therefore it is important to set Adobe Flash Player settings to safest possible - you probably know how often security bugs are found in the Flash Player.

First, please make sure you are running the latest version of Adobe Flash Player by visiting winhelp.us home page or finding Plug-in Check on the right. This is your first step to more secure configuration!

To add an extra protection layer from even unpatched security bugs, please read our Microsoft EMET article!

Accessing Adobe Flash Player Settings Manager via Windows Control Panel

First, click Control Panel on the right side of Start menu.

In Windows Vista and 7, it is best to type "flash" into Control Panel Search box to quickly locate the Adobe Flash Player applet. You can also use Category View to locate it.
Then click Flash Player or Flash Player (32-bit).

In Windows XP, you must switch Control Panel to Classic View first. Do this by clicking the Switch to Classic View link on the left.

Then locate and double-click Flash Player.

Storage Settings - Flash cookies, Supercookies

Flash Player Settings Manager opens in Storage tab. This is the tab related to Flash cookies that many companies (mis)use for tracking users' behavior online. While not all Flash cookies are sneaky, it is best to keep these away. Do this by clicking Block all sites from storing information on this computer.
Please note that this might affect a few online games or video sites - game progresses are not saved or videos do not play (YouTube and other major video sites are not affected by the setting).

A warning window about deleting all stored cookies appears. Click OK.

Removing all stored Flash cookies

If you want to erase all Flash cookies later or you did not see the warning message, click the Delete All... button on Storage tab.

Delete All Site Data in Flash Player window opens with the first option, Delete All Site Data and Settings, selected by default.
If you are selling or recycling your current computer, it is recommended to select the Delete All Audio and Video License Files option, too.
Click Delete Data to erase all stored Flash cookies.

Camera and Mic - who's watching and listening?

Click Camera and Mic tab above.
To prevent unauthorized access to your webcam and microphone, use the default option - Ask me when a site wants to use the camera or microphone (recommended). This will pop up a prompt each time a web site tries to see or hear you.
In case you need to be extra private, use the Block all sites from using the camera and microphone option instead.

Playback - sharing your upload bandwidth with others

Click Playback tab. The name is quite misleading, it configures peer-assisted networking instead.
Most internet connections have very limited upload bandwith, so it is not advisable to share it with other users who visit the same web site. If your upload bandwith is full or nearly full, it will also strongly affect download speed (web pages open very slowly).
To prevent slowdowns, click Block all sites from using peer-assisted networking.

Advanced - checking for updates and deauthorizing your computer

Click Advanced tab.
The first button, Delete All... does exactly the same as the Delete All button on Storage tab - removes all stored Flash cookies.
In Updates section, select Check for updates automatically (recommended). This is meant to make sure that Adobe Flash Player on your computer is up-to-date. Because update notifications appear only if you restart your computer or log off and back on to your account, it is still recommended to use free Secunia PSI for fully automated updates of Flash Player.
Please note that current version numbers are also displayed here, both for ActiveX (Internet Explorer) and Plug-In (all other Internet browsers).
To check for updates right away, click Check Now.

If you want to sell or recycle your computer, you should deauthorize the computer first. This removes all licenses for purchased or rented content, such as audio and video files.
To do this, scroll the page down and click Deauthorize This Computer...:

A Deauthorize This Computer window appears. Close all open Internet browsers and click OK to erase all licenses.

And that's it - Adobe Flash Player configuration is now safer.

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