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Antivirus maker F-Secure slams Adobe on security, says "quit using Reader"
In case you weren't in attendance at this year's RSA conference in San Francisco, F-Secure's Mikko Hypponen has a pro tip for you: stop using Adobe Reader.Hypponen doesn't place all the blame on Adobe. Part of the reason for suggesting the switch is the nearly twenty-fold increase in drive-by downloads that target Reader specifically. It's now become the most popular target for this type of attack, a dubious distinction previously held by Microsoft Word.
No, Adobe can't control the number of malicious documents that are created. They can, however, do a much better job of responding to the security holes that tempt evildoers into creating exploits that target their application in the first place.
On this front, Hypponen is clearly critical of Adobe, stating "[they have] a lot to learn from, of all places, Microsoft," when it comes to security. He believes updates just aren't as much of a priority for Adobe, who took their time in issuing a patch for the exploit that came to light in Frebuary and have been slow in responding to vulnerabilities in the past.
By now, many of you have probably made the switch to a non-Adobe web-based or desktop PDF viewer. If you haven't yet, Hypponen suggests visiting pdfreaders.org and downloading an alternative.
[via CNet]
Comments
5
Subscribe to commentsblogwardApr 23rd 2009 11:17AM
I've just spent an hour or so removing F-Secure from a friend's laptop, explaining that the difference between it and a virus designed to bring her PC to a standstill was that she'd paid for F-Secure.
satoshi250Apr 23rd 2009 11:28AM
Where's the editing? Frebuary? The link is omitting the t.
Tech-MikeApr 23rd 2009 3:11PM
"pdfreaders.org" Doesnt suggest FoxIT ... any input on that.
NeoprimalApr 23rd 2009 8:14PM
"Other proprietary alternatives to Adobe's PDF reader also exist, but like it, their internal working is a a trade secret and these programs do not respect your right to control your own privacy and data."
Right there, on that site.
JackApr 23rd 2009 6:56PM
It's strange but I see the drive-by's occasionally...I'm running foxit and some sites foxit will start without me opening any pdf and start eating up massive memory...have to ctrl-alt-delete....I hate to think if I was running adobe the consequences of that were.