Adobe's Acrobat is at risk for hackers by Corina Ciubotaru

Adobe, the company that created popular document reading software like Reader and Acrobat, has announced its programs are open to malicious viruses when used with Windows XP and Internet Explorer 7. This type of security breach is used by viruses to gain control of computers and steal data or send e-mails, but usually it is fixed fairly easily as companies issue repairing instructions along with statements about the programs' vulnerabilities. This was not the case now with Adobe because their problem was first exposed on the website of a company called Heise Security, dealing with Internet viruses and also in a blog by UK security researcher Petko Petkov, on gnucitizen.org. By the end of the month, the company will release a software update and publish it at the address www.adobe.com/support/security, but since word spreads fast when it comes to Internet viruses, users should be very careful as hackers will surely try to take advantage until the problem is fixed. Even now, Adobe has published a workaround strategy for this critical issue on its website but common users may not be able to apply it because of the rather complex steps that need to be taken in the Windows registry. Updates have also been released for other Adobe applications such as GoLive 9 and Illustrator from Creative Suite 3. More updates will be available soon for Adobe Reader 8.1 and Adobe Acrobat 8.1 and Adobe 3D. Users of Windows Vista can relax though: the security flaw can not damage their computer.

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071010/tot-uk-usa-hackers-b86c26b_1.html

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.