Image: ZDNet
Microsoft began rolling out KB4577586 this week, a Windows update that permanently removes Adobe Flash Player software from Windows devices.
The update was formally announced last year at the end of October, when Microsoft and other browser manufacturers were preparing for the end of Flash’s life, scheduled for the end of 2020.
According to a support document published at the time, the update was initially to be optional.
System administrators who wanted to remove Flash before the end-of-life date could access the Microsoft Update Catalog, download KB4577586 packages, and remove Flash to avoid security-related issues.
But this week, several Windows 10 users reported that Microsoft is now forcibly installing KB4577586 on their devices and removing Flash support from the operating system.
While users may think that this would cause problems for some companies, it is not. Last year, Adobe introduced a time bomb in Flash Player code that prevents the Flash Player application from playing content after January 12.
Even if the Flash Player is installed on a Windows device, the operating system would not be able to play any content due to this time bomb – a known issue that created problems in countries like China and South Africa last month.
It seems that Microsoft also knew about this time bomb and decided to push KB4577586 to Windows 10 systems this week to remove any Flash code, as the application doesn’t really work.