Just think back to the last time you had a computer program that refused to open or work correctly. It’s maddening when that happens. But crashing or lagging software programs aren’t the only issue that can arise. Some programs have vulnerabilities that leave your devices open to outside threats. That’s precisely what’s happening with popular software right now, in fact. If you’re using an Adobe program to edit, open, or create PDFs, you need to note this issue and take time to fix the problem ASAP. And while you’re at it, you can fix other tech problems with these easy solutions, too.
Hackers are targeting your Adobe software
Many of us use Adobe software to work with or open PDFs. This massively popular software has been the go-to PDF reader for years, and for good reason. It’s free, easy to use, and often comes pre-installed on devices. Since it is so popular, it’s a perfect target for cybercriminals. A recent Adobe security bulletin noted a handful of vulnerabilities with its software — about 14 in all — which will require a patch to be fixed. It’s not unusual for Adobe to issue patches or updates once a month, but these are critical to maintaining your device’s security. According to Adobe, there is a mix of critical, moderate and important vulnerabilities fixed with this patch. While some of the issues are less pressing, like minimal (defense-in-depth fix) security verification bypass problems, the critical and important issues need to be addressed ASAP. If left unpatched, a “successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.” What that means in layman’s terms is these bugs leave your device open for an attacker to perform remote code execution. If that happens, it could allow a hacker to gain control of your device remotely. Once they’ve gained access, the hacker could potentially change your privileges to access files and other important information within the device. The patch will help prevent that from happening, so you need to be sure to update your Adobe software as soon as possible. This patch covers vulnerabilities in several different products, including Adobe Acrobat DC, Acrobat Reader DC, Acrobat 2020, Acrobat 2017 and Acrobat Reader for macOS and Windows.
How to update Adobe software
There are a few different ways you can update your Adobe software. Use one of the following methods: Manually In most cases, Adobe automatically installs updates as they roll out. However, this particular issue is critical, which means you need to check and make sure you’re using the most updated version of the software. You can update your product installations manually by opening the Adobe program and then choosing Help > Check for Updates. If an update is available select Download & Install. Automatically Again, your software is probably going to update automatically. But you need to make sure it is updated and has downloaded this patch, so any vulnerabilities are removed. Follow the steps above to make sure you’re up to date. Using the download center You can also update your Adobe software using the download center. The full Acrobat Reader installer can be downloaded from the Acrobat Reader Download Center here. That’s it. Your Adobe software is protected. For now. As we said earlier, Adobe sends regular updates to fix security flaws like the ones discussed here. Keep checking in with Komando.com and we’ll let you know whenever critical patches are available.
