Adobe Warns of Security Issue with Acrobat & Reader
Adobe has officially acknowledged security problems with the recent versions of Acrobat 9 and Reader 9. This vulnerability can be exploited by malformed PDF files, causing the application to crash and potentially allowing a hacker to take control of the system.
Adobe will be releasing critical updates for Reader 9 and Acrobat 9 that will fix this problem by March 11th. Updates to older versions will be released by March 18th.
In the meantime, reports have indicated that disabling JavaScript in these programs can help protect your system from currently known attacks. To disable JavaScript in Acrobat or Reader, follow these steps:
- Select Edit>Preferences
- Select the JavaScript Category
- Uncheck the ‘Enable Acrobat JavaScript’ option
- Click OK
For more information, see the security bulletin on Adobe’s website.
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