Re: FLASH: DoD Policy: attn. Macromedia Support >

[Matt Wobensmith]

Andrew wrote:


>The network people at the Pentagon strongly contend that Flash player and "Flash" *is* "an Active X 

>Control". I don't exactly know what they mean semantically, but I do know that in practice it means 

>that no Flash files or Flash Players are allowed on the Pentagon Network---period.



The Flash Player for Internet Explorer, Windows, is an ActiveX control.



>What I need (please!) is a concise but comprehensive explanation from someone from Macromedia of how 

>Flash works with Active X control, and in what context it does so. (I would try to do so, but I'm 

>afraid I'm just a lowly contractor in their eyes).


An ActiveX control, to most people, is just another "plug-in" sort of thing that extends the capabilities of their browser to view Flash content. There are many other ActiveX controls out there, but Flash is one of the most - if not *the* most - popular ones out there. 


I stole this explanation from ask.com:


"A control using ActiveX technologies. An ActiveX control can be automatically downloaded and executed by a Web browser. ActiveX is not a programming language, but rather a set of rules for how applications should share information. Programmers can develop ActiveX controls in a variety of languages, including C, C++, Visual Basic, and Java. 


An ActiveX control is similar to a Java applet. Unlike Java applets, however, ActiveX controls have full access to the Windows operating system. This gives them much more power than Java applets, but with this power comes a certain risk that the applet may damage software or data on your machine. To control this risk, Microsoft developed a registration system so that browsers can identify and authenticate an ActiveX control before downloading it. Another difference between Java applets and ActiveX controls is that Java applets can be written to run on all platforms, whereas ActiveX controls are currently limited to Windows environments. "


Summary - an ActiveX control is a "plug-in" for your operating system, and is used by applications other than your browser. Because of this, the potential for abuse is greater, as it has access to your whole system.


Downloading an ActiveX control will - depending on the user's IE security settings - display a security warning window, consistent with the install of any ActiveX control. This window tells the user what the software is and where it comes from. 


The Flash Player is "signed", so it is certifiably safe and comes from a widely known and reputable vendor (Macromedia), so this helps people realize it's more than a security alert. 


I understand you need to explain this to your client (DoD), and you are looking for a way to explain the safety of the Flash Player ActiveX control. I know of no one who has had security issues with the Flash Player, and I know of no way a Flash designer can exploit the control for the wrong purpose. 


Many intranets/internal networks forbid installing any software or items such as this, and that would create a problem for a Flash designer. If a large entity wants to take advantage of Flash technology, and does not want (or allow) users to download it from the net, they could always contact Macromedia and get a licensing agreement to install it themselves. 


Let us know if this helps, or if you need more information.


Matt


---------------

Matt Wobensmith

Macromedia Tech Support

Flash Team Lead


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