It has been a long four months since Adobe announced that Flash Player Sandboxing was coming to Firefox but users who have been waiting since that news in early February have had their patience rewarded this month as the release has finally arrived.
Although Firefox usage has fallen (in terms of overall share) since a high point in 2009, the browser is still one of most widely used in the world. The beauty of the browser is that it is relatively simple to add bolt add-ons to it in the form of buttons, code and commands.
However, this open approach has sometimes led the browser to be viewed as a portal by those wishing to propagate vicious code in the form of viruses or malicious web content. More often than not, Adobe Flash Player has been seen as the perfect medium to deliver the malicious content.
The reason for this is that a regular installation of Flash Player gives the program access to system files which are essential for it to run. When you watch a web video, or play a Flash game through your browser, certain information is downloaded and retained (for example, your progress in an online game) and as the program has access to system files, there have been occasions where this has led to problems.
Sandboxed mode allows the program to run without it needing access to all of the same system files, known as a low integrity process. It also allows the traffic and activity attached to the program to be monitored and any potential problems to be averted before they become problems. Many anti-virus programs have a sandbox mode for installation of programs from unknown sources and indeed, Adobe released a Sandbox Mode for Windows last year.
So this is very good news for Firefox users who can now safely enjoy Adobe Flash Player without any concerns.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/titanas/4064851076/