With Flash support going away at the end of the year, are there any security issues that we need to be concerned with for courses published as HTML5 with Flash fallback?
What happens to courses that include both Flash and HTML5 output?
Your published courses will continue to work if they include HTML5 output. Web browsers will simply ignore the Flash content and display the HTML5 version instead.
Are there security issues associated with courses published as HTML5 with Flash fallback?
Yes. Flash has known vulnerabilities, so systems and courses that continue to use Flash are at an increased risk of compromise.
For more insight around this topic, check out these related resources:
Thanks for the quick response Katie. I guess my question should have been "Should we convert everything to HTML5 only?" I want to make sure there is nothing in the published SCORM and AICC files that could be a problem down the road. I manage over 100 courses for the energy industry and they are slow to update their platforms so many are still using IE. I have told everyone that they need to move to a modern browser and hopefully they will by the end of the year. Even so, they do load these courses into their own Learning Management Systems and I want to make sure that the SCORM and AICC files that I send out published as HTML5 with Flash fallback will not create a security risk because there are Flash files in the zip file.
Hi! I have the same question and I am not sure it was answered. We are removing or upgrading any engage or quizmaker activities that had flash and reimporting into Storyline 360. We have been publishing in HTML5 with Flash fallback. The question is as long as there are no Flash activities, is it still OK for the setting during publishing to be HTML5 with Flash Fallback? Or do we need to republish even our Storyline 360 courses in just HTML5 only? Thank you!
Personally, I don't feel there would be any vulnerability once the browser doesn't show the load the Flash SWF file.
We'll plan on republishing to HTML5 only the next maintenance cycle, but for best user experience until then, we currently publish to Flash w/HTML5 fallback.
I'm not sure if this is related or not - I created a course in Storyline with a text variable for learners to enter their name. I published the course to Review using HTML5 only and the text boxes did not work. I went back a republished it using HTML5 with Flash fallback and it worked fine. Are variables going to be an issue going forward?
I haven't come across similar reports yet, but I'm happy to investigate with you! Could you let me know:
Which version of Storyline 360 are you using? Click the Help tab, then About Storyline.
Any trends in the browser used when viewing the published output?
Are you comfortable with sharing the Storyline course with us? You can send it privately with this case link or attach it publicly in your reply. We'll check it out in a similar setup and delete it after.
I originally published this (on 11/6) using HTML5 only - the text box fields did not work. I published using HTML5 with Flash fallback and they worked fine. My reviewer was not able to type anything regardless of which mode I published in. Today, I re-published to Review in HTML5. I was able to type in the text box fields in both Chrome and IE11. My reviewer could only type in them when she was in Chrome. IE11 did not work for her.
I did share the file using the private link.
If you need anything else, just let me know. Thank you for your help.
It doesn't look like we've received your file. Can you please try uploading it again using this secure upload link?
It looks like your email signature came through when you replied via email. You can remove that if needed by clicking ‘Edit’ beneath your response. Here’s a quick Peek video if you need help.
This is what I have always done because I have found many animations don't perform properly with HTML5 only or even as the primary. I was told via email by Articulate several months ago, that this was acceptable.
My concern now is that my employer is requiring ONLY HTML5. I am concerned about how my animations will perform this way.
I appreciate you sharing your project and Review 360 link! I've tested the project in both Chrome and IE. In both browsers, I can type in the text entry fields. If the course isn't working as expected in your LMS, then I'd reach out to your LMS admin to see if they're noticing the same error on their end.
Also, is this behavior consistent for your Reviewer? Or is it intermittent, as they can type in the text entry fields, but it's inconsistent?
Good morning, thank you for your reply. It has not been published to our LMS yet, only to Review. The behavior is consistent with IE, but does function in Chrome. We are going through some upgrades and that could be part of the problem.
14 Replies
Hi there, James!
What happens to courses that include both Flash and HTML5 output?
Your published courses will continue to work if they include HTML5 output. Web browsers will simply ignore the Flash content and display the HTML5 version instead.
Are there security issues associated with courses published as HTML5 with Flash fallback?
Yes. Flash has known vulnerabilities, so systems and courses that continue to use Flash are at an increased risk of compromise.
For more insight around this topic, check out these related resources:
Thanks for the quick response Katie. I guess my question should have been "Should we convert everything to HTML5 only?" I want to make sure there is nothing in the published SCORM and AICC files that could be a problem down the road. I manage over 100 courses for the energy industry and they are slow to update their platforms so many are still using IE. I have told everyone that they need to move to a modern browser and hopefully they will by the end of the year. Even so, they do load these courses into their own Learning Management Systems and I want to make sure that the SCORM and AICC files that I send out published as HTML5 with Flash fallback will not create a security risk because there are Flash files in the zip file.
Hi James!
Yes, you're correct! Converting everything to HTML is the right step to avoiding snags with Flash!
Hi! I have the same question and I am not sure it was answered. We are removing or upgrading any engage or quizmaker activities that had flash and reimporting into Storyline 360. We have been publishing in HTML5 with Flash fallback. The question is as long as there are no Flash activities, is it still OK for the setting during publishing to be HTML5 with Flash Fallback? Or do we need to republish even our Storyline 360 courses in just HTML5 only? Thank you!
Personally, I don't feel there would be any vulnerability once the browser doesn't show the load the Flash SWF file.
We'll plan on republishing to HTML5 only the next maintenance cycle, but for best user experience until then, we currently publish to Flash w/HTML5 fallback.
I'm not sure if this is related or not - I created a course in Storyline with a text variable for learners to enter their name. I published the course to Review using HTML5 only and the text boxes did not work. I went back a republished it using HTML5 with Flash fallback and it worked fine. Are variables going to be an issue going forward?
Hi there, Brenda!
I haven't come across similar reports yet, but I'm happy to investigate with you! Could you let me know:
Hi Katie, I'm using Storyline 360 v3.45.23393.0
I originally published this (on 11/6) using HTML5 only - the text box fields did not work. I published using HTML5 with Flash fallback and they worked fine. My reviewer was not able to type anything regardless of which mode I published in.
Today, I re-published to Review in HTML5. I was able to type in the text box fields in both Chrome and IE11. My reviewer could only type in them when she was in Chrome. IE11 did not work for her.
I did share the file using the private link.
If you need anything else, just let me know. Thank you for your help.
Hello Brenda!
It doesn't look like we've received your file. Can you please try uploading it again using this secure upload link?
It looks like your email signature came through when you replied via email. You can remove that if needed by clicking ‘Edit’ beneath your response. Here’s a quick Peek video if you need help.
This is what I have always done because I have found many animations don't perform properly with HTML5 only or even as the primary. I was told via email by Articulate several months ago, that this was acceptable.
My concern now is that my employer is requiring ONLY HTML5. I am concerned about how my animations will perform this way.
HI Lauren, hopefully this will work.
https://360.articulate.com/review/content/4ca776c3-7451-4c19-ae84-86c1707bc37b/review
Again, it seems to work in Chrome, but our LMS defaults to IE.
Thank you for any help you can give.
Hi Brenda!
I appreciate you sharing your project and Review 360 link! I've tested the project in both Chrome and IE. In both browsers, I can type in the text entry fields. If the course isn't working as expected in your LMS, then I'd reach out to your LMS admin to see if they're noticing the same error on their end.
Also, is this behavior consistent for your Reviewer? Or is it intermittent, as they can type in the text entry fields, but it's inconsistent?
Good morning, thank you for your reply. It has not been published to our LMS yet, only to Review. The behavior is consistent with IE, but does function in Chrome. We are going through some upgrades and that could be part of the problem.
Thank you again for your help.
Hi Brenda,
Thank you for the updated information. I was able to use your link and view the content as expected in IE11 as well.
Please note, when using Internet Explorer, Compatibility View must be turned off.
You can find the browser settings here.
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.