Plugin update checking in Firefox: Developers, when are you going to fix it?
Tools/Add-ons/Check for Updates says "No updates found" when Web sites are already complaining that Adobe Flash is out of date and vulnerable. I have to stumble around until I find your site, "https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/plugincheck/", to verify the need and get the update.
This is still a problem in version 50.1.0, at least with Adobe flash. I complained about it first at "https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1147255" after I had just updated Firefox to vs. 5.0, but I see that it still hasn't been fixed, so I've started this new thread.
Since I'm normally running in a Standard User account on Window 7 SP1, automatic updates don't work (although Firefox at least notifies me of theirs), so I've set Flash to "Notify." I never get Adobe's notifications, however, for some unknown reason. Anyhow this should really be handled by your built in update checker. What's the problem here?
(Possibly relevant to the lack of automatic notifications only: When my firewall asks me to allow cryptic software names like "6a09411d-5090-4d0b-8b77-0f0e959fb936" to access the Internet, which in this case happened right after a Flash update, I always set it to "Disable All." Perhaps this one is Adobe's Flash update checker, but it is completely unidentified -- Adobe's problem, not yours.)
Happy Holidays to All! -- jclarkw
Chosen solution
Prior to Firefox 50 Release the Add-ons > Plugins tab did have a hyperlink leading to here - https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/plugincheck/ - that was labeled Check to see if your plugins are up to date.
Not sure why that hyperlink was removed, but that "Check Your Plugins" page was changed about the same time; less emphasis on any plugin except for Flash, at least that's how it looks to me. IMO, that move was "jumping the gun" a bit for the removal / blocking of all Plugins except for Flash that is currently slated for Firefox 53 on Win32-bit builds. Win64 builds already block all Plugins save for Flash and Silverlight, so blocking all but Flash is a furtherance of the policy of eliminating all Plugins fron Firefox in stages over time.
As far as Flash updates, Mozilla has never been involved in updating Flash or even directly notifying users that there is an update available for Flash. Adobe is responsible for updating Flash and the internal updater check in the Flash program is set to check once a month, AFAIK. Up until sometime in 2013 or 2014 that was probably frequent enough, but in the last 2 or 3 years there have been as many as 3 Flash security updates released in a single month. From what I have seen Adobe hasn't changed the update check frequency, ever. (Macromedia was the original developer of Flash, bought out buy Adobe in2005). I think a weekly check would be proper currently - Flash is the biggest target and the "most exploited" program out there, IMHO.
What Mozilla does do regarding Flash security is to add the older, vulnerable versions to an Add-on Blocklist that is update daily when Firefox is first opened for the day. Two types of "block" is used. "Soft block" that shifts Flash into "Ask to Activate" mode, and a "hard block" that disables Flash altogether in Firefox.
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The "Check for Updates" menu item has only ever checked Extensions (and maybe Themes), not Plugins. That should be made clearer.
I'm not aware of any plan to extend that to plugins. On the contrary, plugins are expected to stop running next year (all but Flash by March-April).
If this is a personal computer, you can consider a program like Flexera's Personal Software Inspector (formerly Secunia PSI) to keep all the bits and pieces up-to-date. https://www.flexerasoftware.com/enterprise/products/software-vulnerability-management/personal-software-inspector/
jscher2000 said
The "Check for Updates" menu item has only ever checked Extensions (and maybe Themes), not Plugins. That should be made clearer.
Thanks for your response. I could swear that, before vs. 50, Firefox had separate update checkers for Extensions and for Plugins. In any case I could always easily find out-of-date plugins and get updates through Firefox by going to the Tools/Add-ons/Plugins page.
I'm not aware of any plan to extend that to plugins. On the contrary, plugins are expected to stop running next year (all but Flash by March-April).
What does this mean to those who use Plugins (like Flash)? I'm not fond of Adobe's security vulnerabilities, but I suppose you will have some sort of work-around...
Thanks again -- jclarkw
There used to be a link to go to the Plugin Check page, which was an external way to check whether plugins were out of date.
No, there's no substitute for Flash, but that one will likely be with us for another year.
Chosen Solution
Prior to Firefox 50 Release the Add-ons > Plugins tab did have a hyperlink leading to here - https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/plugincheck/ - that was labeled Check to see if your plugins are up to date.
Not sure why that hyperlink was removed, but that "Check Your Plugins" page was changed about the same time; less emphasis on any plugin except for Flash, at least that's how it looks to me. IMO, that move was "jumping the gun" a bit for the removal / blocking of all Plugins except for Flash that is currently slated for Firefox 53 on Win32-bit builds. Win64 builds already block all Plugins save for Flash and Silverlight, so blocking all but Flash is a furtherance of the policy of eliminating all Plugins fron Firefox in stages over time.
As far as Flash updates, Mozilla has never been involved in updating Flash or even directly notifying users that there is an update available for Flash. Adobe is responsible for updating Flash and the internal updater check in the Flash program is set to check once a month, AFAIK. Up until sometime in 2013 or 2014 that was probably frequent enough, but in the last 2 or 3 years there have been as many as 3 Flash security updates released in a single month. From what I have seen Adobe hasn't changed the update check frequency, ever. (Macromedia was the original developer of Flash, bought out buy Adobe in2005). I think a weekly check would be proper currently - Flash is the biggest target and the "most exploited" program out there, IMHO.
What Mozilla does do regarding Flash security is to add the older, vulnerable versions to an Add-on Blocklist that is update daily when Firefox is first opened for the day. Two types of "block" is used. "Soft block" that shifts Flash into "Ask to Activate" mode, and a "hard block" that disables Flash altogether in Firefox.
the-edmeister said
What Mozilla does do regarding Flash security is to add the older, vulnerable versions to an Add-on Blocklist that is update daily when Firefox is first opened for the day. Two types of "block" is used. "Soft block" that shifts Flash into "Ask to Activate" mode, and a "hard block" that disables Flash altogether in Firefox.
Thanks! I guess this effectively solves my problem (and the background information is also very useful). I just have to remember the link to the update page... -- jclarkw