Skip to main content

Microsoft decides to release Adobe Flash Player update for Windows after all

microsoft building tab support into windows 10 upgrade popup
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday, which is when the company issues its security and bug fix updates for Windows machines, has historically been the second Tuesday of the month. That’s slowly changing with Windows 10, but for now, Patch Tuesday remains pretty entrenched.

That’s why Microsoft’s decision to skip February 2017’s Patch Tuesday and delay its updates for an entire month was particularly striking. It’s definitely an unusual occurrence, but it now appears that the company isn’t completely withholding all Windows updates, as Betanews reports.

Recommended Videos

Starting Tuesday, Microsoft is going to release some security updates aimed at patching some issues with Adobe Flash Player. The information comes from an email that the company sent to its largest enterprise customers, which read:

“Microsoft is planning to release security updates for Adobe Flash Player. These updates will be offered to the following operating systems: Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2016. No other security updates are scheduled for release until the next scheduled monthly update release on March 14, 2017.”

It’s unknown precisely what Microsoft is fixing in the Flash updates, or why it chose to release these bug fixes and not some of the others included in the February 2017 Patch Tuesday package. At least one issue, an SMB crashing bug, was considered a priority by many users, and an unresolved security problem was recently publicized by Google as part of its Project Zero, which publishes zero-day bugs 90 days after Google lets a developer know the bug exists.

Don’t be surprised, then, if you check for updates on your Windows machine and find one waiting for you. You’ll still be waiting until March for the complete Patch Tuesday fix, but in the meantime, you should go ahead and run the update to make sure that your Adobe Flash Player software is secure.

Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has…
The latest Windows update is breaking VPN connections
Windows Update running on a laptop.

Microsoft has acknowledged that the Windows security updates for April 2024 (KB5036893 for Windows 11, KB5036892 for Windows 10) are causing disruptions to virtual private network (VPN) connections across various client and server platforms. According to information on the Windows health dashboard, devices running Windows may experience VPN connection failures following the installation of either the April 2024 security update or the April 2024 non-security preview update.

The company has also stated that it is actively investigating user reports regarding these issues and will share more details in the coming days. The impacted Windows versions include Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2008 onward.

Read more
Microsoft may fix the most frustrating thing about Windows updates
Windows 11 updates are moving to once a year.

Most Windows users will agree that one of the most annoying things about the operating system is the updates. While Windows Updates are necessary, they often tend to come up at the worst possible time, interrupting work and gaming sessions with persistent reminders that the system needs to reboot. Microsoft might be fixing that problem in the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 build, but it's still too early to bid farewell to those ill-timed reboots.

As spotted in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26058, Microsoft is testing "hot patching" for some Windows 11 updates. Hot patching refers to a dynamic method of updating that often doesn't change the software version and may not even need a restart. In the context of Windows 11, it's pretty straightforward -- Windows will install the update, and you won't have to reboot your system.

Read more
Windows 12 might not be coming this year after all
The Copilot key shown on a white keyboard.

It is possible that Microsoft's next system update might not be named Windows 12 after all, but rather a major overhaul of Windows 11 with extensive AI integration.

According to Windows Central, Microsoft is expected to ship a "version 24H2" system later this year, which will succeed the version 23H2 of Windows 11 that was released last year. Many rumors have assumed the next Windows version would be a number upgrade due to the expected heavy AI influence. However, at this point, it seems more likely the current Windows 11 system sequence will continue, especially since chief product officer Panos Panay left the company, the publication added.

Read more