Flash Vulnerabilities Analysis of US Educational Websites

With the increase in online and web learning, schools are building the number of web-based applications using media like Flash. However, sites that use Flash and other types of media encounter problems with security. Issues are raised with how to protect personal data that are entered via these sites. The purpose of this study is to determine if Flash-based web application at US educational institutions protect the personal data of their consumers, and what levels of security vulnerability are shown. The research also shows the main types of security problems that are shown in the schools sites. To mitigate these vulnerabilities and provide a higher level of security during development, technical, procedural and managerial recommendations are presented.