Microsoft To Block Flash In Office 365 Starting January 2019 (bleepingcomputer.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft plans to soon block Flash, Shockwave, and Silverlight content from activating in Office 365, it said. The block, however, will only be applicable in Office 365 subscription clients -- and not in Office 2016, Office 2013, or Office 2010 distributions, the company added. The change is set to come into effect starting January 2019. This is a full-on block, and not just Microsoft disabling problematic controls with the option to click on a button and view its content, BleepingComputer reports. The block means that Office 365 will prevent Flash, Shockwave, or Silverlight content from playing inside Office documents altogether.

Microsoft cited various reasons for taking this decision. It said that malware authors have abused this mechanism for exploit campaigns, but also that Office users rarely used these features. In addition, Microsoft said it was also taking this decision after Adobe announced Flash's end-of-life for 2020.

Comments

Re:Why was it there in the first place

[MachineShedFred]

Likely for HTML emails. And yes, that's still stupid.

Now take Silverlight out of Windows Server.

[ErikTheRed]

Yet they still try to cram Silverlight down our throats continuously on Windows Server updates (yes, I know that with enough hassle this can be turned off, but...). There are probably like six people using it for some oddball VDI application; for the rest of us it's a stupid nuisance.