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Is anyone still using Flash on PPC? Dump it now!

M

MysticCow

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 27, 2013
1,565
1,766
There is a Flash exploit in the wild that WILL WORK on PowerPC Macs. There is no fix to this on PowerPC other than to 100% stop using Flash. This includes the spoofed/hacked version that is floating around.

http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2014/07/its-time-to-stop-using-flash-on-power.html

And if you need help living without Flash, we have a forum topic all about it! https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1496149/

Or you can use the QuickTime Enabler or Mactubes Enabler on TenFourFox.

EDIT 7/10:

How to get around not using Flash

1. Use TenFourFox with QuickTime Enabler or Mactubes Enabler

2. Use MacTubes or Youview.

3. Use Leopard WebKit with both ClickToFlash and ClickToPlugin.

4. Use the Developer Menu to spoof the site into thinking you're on a mobile device.
 
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Flash is the worst software product in history, as far as I'm concerned. It's awful in every way, and unlike IE6, it sprawls its awfulness across platforms.
 
Unfortunately still using on my old PB 1.67 ghz, there are no good alternative :-(
 
QTE doesn't work with some sites like CBC.ca/player and watch.DiscoveryChannel.com .... I use TFF 24 (latest) which doesn't support flash. Most sites still use flash, what can be done to playback content delivered using flash?

The other option I thought was use XBMC but that is almost as useless now. Following plugins don't work that could potentially replace flash/web browser viewing.
- Canada On Demand
- 1channel / ice films
- You name it, won't install (dependencies not met) or won't work (script failed).

I don't think there is a viable way to dump flash given nothing really works to deliver content on PowerPC systems anymore. It was only 1.5yrs ago that I was using a Mac Mini G4 (1.42/512/80GB/DVD) as an HTPC with XBMC running great. Even at that time some addons (particularly live streaming) did not work, everything else was working.
 
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mseth said:
QTE doesn't work with some sites like CBC.ca/player and watch.DiscoveryChannel.com .... I use TFF 24 (latest) which doesn't support flash. Most sites still use flash, what can be done to playback content delivered using flash?

The other option I thought was use XBMC but that is almost as useless now. Following plugins don't work that could potentially replace flash/web browser viewing.
- Canada On Demand
- 1channel / ice films
- You name it, won't install (dependencies not met) or won't work (script failed).

I don't think there is a viable way to dump flash given nothing really works to deliver content on PowerPC systems anymore. It was only 1.5yrs ago that I was using a Mac Mini G4 (1.42/512/80GB/DVD) as an HTPC with XBMC running great. Even at that time some addons (particularly live streaming) did not work, everything else was working.
Click to expand...

The alternative is to try and set them to use HTML5 if they support it. Flash is, as I describe throughout this forum, a dirty resource stealing pig. I wish it would just be put to rest and let good web standards to be put into place.
 
Altemose said:
The alternative is to try and set them to use HTML5 if they support it. Flash is, as I describe throughout this forum, a dirty resource stealing pig. I wish it would just be put to rest and let good web standards to be put into place.
Click to expand...

That is true.

Due to the lack of Flash support in TFF 24, I created a Fluid web app for CBC.ca/player. Tested playback, running at 240p and the CPU is being pegged at 100%. I wouldn't mind the usage if it actually played the video but with Hardware Accel ON/OFF the video is playing at 2-3FPS. There is also a flash ad on the side of the player (200x200px) so that might contribute to the high usage.

Update: The touch (mobile) site sometimes works and opens the video as a download. Guess that is good enough.
 
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mseth said:
That is true.

Due to the lack of Flash support in TFF 24, I created a Fluid web app for CBC.ca/player. Tested playback, running at 240p and the CPU is being pegged at 100%. I wouldn't mind the usage if it actually played the video but with Hardware Accel ON/OFF the video is playing at 2-3FPS. There is also a flash ad on the side of the player (200x200px) so that might contribute to the high usage.

Update: The touch (mobile) site sometimes works and opens the video as a download. Guess that is good enough.
Click to expand...

Yes. The mobile versions do help...
 
There's been talk of HTML5 taking over flash for years now. Still waiting. Granted, I have lots of newer machines I can use so this is a non issue but still, I would like to see flash die if only for security reasons.
 
TacticalDesire said:
There's been talk of HTML5 taking over flash for years now. Still waiting. Granted, I have lots of newer machines I can use so this is a non issue but still, I would like to see flash die if only for security reasons.
Click to expand...

It's always a slow process to take something over. Blu Ray vs HD DVD was done over a few years. MP3 vs Ogg vs windows media vs MP4/AAC vs FLAC never really ended. Then there's Mac vs PC...

And for the poster discussing the CBC, there's some solutions available.

1. Leopard Webkit with ClickToFlash and ClickToPlugin.

2. Developer menu (or Develop menu, depending) in Safari/Leopard Webkit can spoof the site into believing you're on a mobile device, which kills a lot of flash.

Flash on PPC is absolutely 100% unsafe now. Adobe isn't going to update us to take care of this issue. It's time to dump it.
 
MysticCow said:
Flash on PPC is absolutely 100% unsafe now. Adobe isn't going to update us to take care of this issue. It's time to dump it.
Click to expand...

Not really. The executable downloaded by flashback is not a ppc universal binary. Its not totally safe, but not 100% unsafe either. Thats the beauty of running unsupported cpus
 
MrPilot said:
Not really. The executable downloaded by flashback is not a ppc universal binary. Its not totally safe, but not 100% unsafe either. Thats the beauty of running unsupported cpus
Click to expand...

This isn't about Flashback. It's about the Rosetta Flash exploit. The Rosetta Flash exploit will work correctly on any device (x86/ARM/PowerPC) that runs a vulnerable version Flash, like Flash 10.1. Resulting in a 100% unsafe environment for it. It's a fully weaponized and wild exploit that is not preventable in any way on a PowerPC Mac other than not using the plugin. Read more about it at http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com
 
Intell said:
This isn't about Flashback. It's about the Rosetta Flash exploit. The Rosetta Flash exploit will work correctly on any device (x86/ARM/PowerPC) that runs a vulnerable version Flash, like Flash 10.1. Resulting in a 100% unsafe environment for it. It's a fully weaponized and wild exploit that is not preventable in any way on a PowerPC Mac other than not using the plugin. Read more about it at http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com
Click to expand...

the rosetta one is evil.... I hope they find the sob's behind it and put them away for life. Despite this, flash and java will continue to run on my ppc's until they can't because of version lag because for work and banking I use the intel macs anyway...Besides, here in Sweden our banking system requires an external electronic code device anyway so they wouldn't have any use of keylogging for example. I dunno about what else they could possible do, but I think it's not overly critical for me.

I don't worry too much... you know, security paranoia... it's like everything else; exaggerations of climate change due to human pollution, soy beans causing cancer, cellphones causing brain tumor... SAR, VH1, etc etc
Overreacting...
 
On my personal machine, I've ditched Flash.

But on my kid's iMac G5 ALS, it's a necessity for educational webapps like Xtramath and a lot of edutainment games, like CoolMath4Kids.com.

We're getting an iPad soon, so after I get the kids transitioned to that, I'll probably make the jump and dump Flash on their machine.
 
MrPilot said:
(...)
I don't worry too much... you know, security paranoia... it's like everything else; exaggerations of climate change due to human pollution, soy beans causing cancer, cellphones causing brain tumor... SAR, VH1, etc etc
Overreacting...
Click to expand...
I am tempted to note something about climate change, but... instead I say "VH1 - the music video chanel?" :D
 
I was testing something and ended up getting a dozen pop ups from shady advertisement websites (PG rated) but nonetheless, they were using flash and dried up all my CPU resources.

By the time I quit, it was a few mins of the nonsense running in Safari.

How exactly do you get rid of flash in Safari and ensure the system is safe?
 
mseth said:
How exactly do you get rid of flash in Safari and ensure the system is safe?
Click to expand...

Run the following lines in Terminal, then restart:
Code: 
sudo rm /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/Flash\ Player.plugin
sudo rm /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/flashplayer.xpt
 
Intell said:
Run the following lines in Terminal, then restart:
Code: 
sudo rm /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/Flash\ Player.plugin
sudo rm /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/flashplayer.xpt
Click to expand...

Prior to doing that, I cleared up the Flash global settings (no websites stored info there). I disabled plug-ins and Java on the security tab in Safari.

I'll run the commands but, I assume that would prevent any attacks assuming the system has been exposed?

I doubt that *that* is the case though. Tried ClamXAV however, that ate up more than 250mb of RAM / 1.25gb. I couldn't seem to find any other lightweight AV except SOPHOS v8 which is now disappeared from the net and discontinued from virus signature updates.
 
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