Installing Flash 10 isn’t a good idea. Why? Because Flash in Messenger used by a COM control (also known as ActiveX), which means any program, script, or WebBrowser control on Windows can run it without any permissions. Flash 10 is a decade old, and Flash is the most insecure piece of software in Internet history, so much so that history was made as every tech company agreed to eliminate it. In the next year, there are at least two Windows Updates coming that will remove the normal Flash versions, and most security vendors are already on board to start quarantining it.
Just over four years ago, I forcibly removed Flash from my own machines and any of my clients. However, I wanted to keep seeing winks, which is why Messenger Flash Reviver exists. This is how I’ve been using winks for the past four years without Flash installed, as it links Messenger to its own portable Flash version, and eliminates the vulnerability of having Flash, as it’s completely separate and can’t be used by other applications or scripts.