Have you noticed that websites don’t seem to use Adobe Shockwave very often anymore? Have you ever wondered why they don’t use Shockwave? Well, the truth is that Shockwave is riddled with vulnerabilities that can provide hackers with intimate access to your system.
Shockwave – at its best – is a media player that is used to play music, videos, and other multimedia files over the internet. It’s generally only found on older websites, which is a mixed blessing. It’s a mixed blessing because older sites aren’t as popular as newer sites, but it can be problematic because when visitors stumble across these old sites, they can be greeted with a flurry of viruses.
Shockwave is filled with security vulnerabilities. But one vulnerability is particularly problematic for users. It allows a third-party, like a hacker, to gain control of the user’s computer through the Shockwave system. The problem isn’t with Shockwave 11 (which is the latest version of Shockwave). Instead, the problem is with Shockwave 10, which is still used by thousands of people around the world.
Apparently, hackers basically run the show on Shockwave 10. Old exploits remain unpatched and new exploits are being discovered every day.
If you still have Shockwave 10 (or any version of Shockwave) installed, then it’s a good idea to delete it and never look at it again. It’s just too dangerous to have on your system.
For more information about the security holes in Shockwave and how you can defend your computer from them, check out this article by PCWorld.com