The INQ: Always giving you so much you're stuffed
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Adobe security flaw undermines nearly every OS
UNDERMINING SECURITY seems to be a particular strength of Adobe as shown by the latest security bulletin put out by the firm.
In it, the firm delivers the shocking news that its Flash Player, Reader and Acrobat software have a vulnerability that could potentially allow hackers to gain complete control over computers. At this point, most will be thinking that only Microsoft Windows users are affected but no, this particular vulnerability does a number on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android and even Solaris users.
The vulnerability affects Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris and on Android, Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.2 and earlier versions are affected. All versions of Adobe Reader 9.x are affected on Windows, OS X and UNIX systems while all versions of Adobe Acrobat 9.x are affected on Windows and Macintosh machines.
Or, to put it another way, if you run any version of Adobe Flash, Reader or Acrobat put out in the last few years, you are in trouble. But never fear, the bulletin cites that "Adobe categorizes this as a critical issue." Well, that's certainly comforting. Not.
Apparently Adobe is finalising a fix for Flash Player 10.x for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Android users but that won't tip up until 9 November. As for Adobe Reader and Acrobat, well that's another week away, on 15 November. In the meantime Adobe has come up with a fix that Heath Robinson would be proud of.
For Reader and Acrobat, the firm is suggesting that you delete libraries, though admits that after deletion, "users will experience a non-exploitable crash or error message when opening a PDF file that contains Flash (SWF) content." It offers no similar advice for Flash Player.
It's rare to hear about security vulnerabilities that ensnare so many operating systems, especially Linux and Solaris, however Adobe's crack team of coders has managed just that. µ
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I run adobe flash on Ubuntu but that's all. Linux and Os x have there own pdf viewers which might help a little.
Company's ONLY care about money, protecting our computers is not there concern. They fix problems because they are forced to.
If they did really care, there would be far fewer problems.
" So... Steve Jobs was right all along?
I will certainly be buying an Ipad this weekend!"
Or, just use Foxit PDF Reader, a free download that takes you one minute to install.
No, go spend $1000 on an iPad actually, that makes MUCH more sense.
Stupid is, as stupid does. LOL I love stupid fanboys. Please, keep being dumb.
Hey Rogerpjr,
You will be happy to know that BSD and solaris are also vulnerable because of the same crappy adobe programming. No OS is safe with Adobe product installed.
Yes, Jobs was right.
Do I Have to update this piece of s*** I have lost count over the last month or so on how many times I have updated it.
You update then 1 week later another flaw they really needs to be something better than flash now we need something better. I use Foxit Reader so I only ever need to update shockwave and flash but it's getting annoying at best,
They already put out a new fixed shockwave player, so better go get that guys n gals.
http://get.adobe.com/shockwave/
I bet that Acrobat Reader 6 on Windows 98 is not affected by this.
So I'll just keep running Windows 98, because even if it has vulnerabilities, they can't be exploited using code designed for XP, etc.
... I don't use Adobe Reader, but instead Foxit Reader. Of course I switched because I hated using Reader in the first place, with all its ridiculous "active content" in a document format, but these security issues just validate my decision.
Perhaps now that Adobe have admitted that their reader is safer and more useful *without* their pointless Flash stuffed in every install, they could package it as an add-on so that we can have it only if we actually want it.
It's probably too much to hope that they'll make the same admission about their embedded JavaScript, but they could at least default it to "off."
Yeah right, real xBSD has security built in, they had to remove most of that for OSX because it lacked any fruity themes.
Like the Comment title says..... What about PC or FreeBSD....
Esp since Apple's os is based on the BSD family... SO again have Job's mob finangled their os to be inadvertently vulnerable, and their sibling OS' not? Hmm!!
If steve jobs told you that a used condom was safe I bet you would believe him too!
I will certainly be buying an Ipad this weekend!
sad to say the maemo os is not affected as adobe has stopped developing flash player for maemo 5... :(