This week's Acrobat tip is one that should not be taken lightly. Hackers are out there. They want your computer, and are ridiculously inventive in finding ways to gain control of your data, CPU or bandwidth.
Acrobat itself has become the target of a recently discovered hack, and the bad guys are already exploiting a weakness in Acrobat's underpinnings. That's right–Acrobat or even Reader can be convinced to crash and could "potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected systems."
Adobe also acknowledged that there are reports the vulnerability issue is already being exploited. YIKES!! Click here to read about this vulnerability.
How the heck can you protect yourself from this pending disaster? Adobe has just released a bulletin that contains links to download Acrobat & Reader 9.1. If you are running version 9, download and install this update as soon as possible. (Adobe is planning to make available updates for Adobe Reader 7 and 8, and Acrobat 7 and 8 by March 18th.)
The major AntiVirus vendors are also on the move to help protect you from these malicious attacks. To stay safely under their protective umbrella, you must update your virus definitions. Honestly, new threats pop up so frequently, you should have your AntiVirus application check for updates DAILY.
Want some incentive to do this now? Quicken. Paypal. Online Banking. Your address book. Photos of your kids. Install Reader or Acrobat Professional 9.1–and breathe a little easier.
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Want to learn more about Adobe Acrobat? Click here.
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David R. Mankin is a Certified Technical Trainer, desktop publisher, computer graphic artist, and Web page developer. He is an Adobe-Certified Expert in Acrobat.