Hackers Launch Attack on Adobe... Patch Available

Attacks on Adobe Intensify

Flaws in Adobe Reader and Acrobat are being used to exploit computers. Adobe urges customers to install the patch.

The flaws disclosed last week in Adobe System's Reader and Acrobat programs have been used to exploit computers since at least January via malicious banner advertisements, security analysts are reporting.
Adobe issued patches last Wednesday for Reader and Acrobat, but the company did not detail the flaws.

Problems with Adobe's software can potentially affect millions of PC users, since the company's software is widely used to read PDF (Portable Document Format) files. Most people regard PDFs as harmless.
"From our standpoint, it appears that this PDF-based attack has been quite successful, affecting many thousands of users throughout the world," wrote Hon Lau on Symantec's Security Response Weblog. MORE

To fix undisclosed vulnerabilities Adobe urges users to download Adobe version 8.1.2

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There's now one more reason to be security-conscious while using MySpace.com: fake Microsoft updates.

Using a hacked MySpace profile, online criminals are trying to trick victims into downloading a malicious Trojan Horse program by disguising it as a Microsoft update, according to researchers at security vendor McAfee.
The attack is certainly not widespread -- McAfee has seen it used on only one MySpace profile -- but it does show how sites such as MySpace can be abused by criminals.

Web surfers are presented with what appears to be a pop-up window advising them to download the latest version of Microsoft's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, which was just released this Tuesday. This software is distributed by Microsoft to help Windows users rid their systems of malware.

In reality, the pop-up window is just part of a larger image that takes up most of the computer screen. If the user clicks anywhere on this image, his computer will then begin to download the Trojan horse program. MORE

For more social networking safety tips see prior blog:

Students Beware! Identity thieves are studying you!