Mozilla’s Firebox browser will begin blocking Flash content starting next month, according to a blog post by Mozilla’s Engineering Manager Benjamin Smedberg.
Smedberg commented, “Starting in August, Firefox will block certain Flash content that is not essential to the user experience while continuing to support legacy Flash content. These and future changes will bring Firefox users enhanced security, improved battery life, faster page load, and better browser responsiveness.”
Smedberg also mentioned that starting in 2017, the browser will be adopting a new “click-to-activate policy” that will prompt users to approve the use of the Flash plugin for any online content. “Websites that currently use Flash or Silverlight for video or games should plan on adopting HTML technologies as soon as possible. Firefox currently supports encrypted video playback using Adobe Primetime and Google Widevine as alternatives to plugin video,” he added.
The Flash browser plugin is a usual target of hackers exploiting its bugs and vulnerabilities. Earlier in May, Google’s Chrome browser announced their intent to block the Flash plugin by default on most websites, with an eventual transition to HTML5 technologies before the end of 2016.
