Saturday, May 15, 2010

How to update / disable / uninstall Shockwave for Director

On Aug 24, 2010 a new set of critical vulnerabilities was fixed for Shockwave for Director. [http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-20.html].
To Update Shockwave for Director:
  • You can download the latest version at http://get.adobe.com/shockwave/
  • The latest version is 11.5.8, and SecBrowsing can now detect this version accurately.
To disable Shockwave for Director:
On all platforms, in Google Chrome, you can disable the plugin:
  • Type "about:plugins" (without the quotes) in your browser window
  • Click "disable" on the plugin named "Adobe Shockwave for Director" (not Flash)
To uninstall Shockwave for Director:
Windows:
  • Control Panel
  • Add/Remove Programs
  • Find Shockwave for Director (not Flash) and uninstall it. If you have an "ActiveX" and a "plugin" it's because they ship two different products, one for IE and one for Firefox/Chrome, so remove them both.
Mac:
  • The installer also contains the uninstaller: 
  • Save the uninstaller to your desktop and launch it (Shockwave_Uninstaller)
Some common questions I get asked about Shockwave:
  • Do I have Shockwave for Director?
    • Probably. According to Adobe, over "450 million desktops have installed Adobe Shockwave Player".
  • Shockwave is the same Flash? 
    • No. Adobe Flash is what we all know as Flash. Adobe Shockwave Player or Shockwave for Director is something else - completely unrelated.
  • If I uninstall Shockwave, will my browsing experience be affected?
    • Probably not, for the most part. See the discussion below from users who list a few sites that require Shockwave.
  • Why does SecBrowsing keep telling me my Shockwave is out of date? I'm sure I just updated it.
    • This is no longer the case as of 11.5.8. Please restart your browser, and the warning will go away.