[LCC] Security of Flash and Adobe Reader (OT but important)

[Terrence Lockyer]

I know this is not on-topic;  however, given the current ubiquity
and importance of Flash media (used for video, audio, animations,
and interactive content on social media sites like YouTube, as
well as very many mainstream news and other sites and blogs,
including those of the BBC and Guardian) and PDF files in the
Internet habits of many of us, I thought it worth risking a
little annoyance to mention that Adobe has in recent days
reported a critical vulnerability, already apparently widely
exploited for malicious purposes, and affecting its Flash plug-in
(which plays on-line video in web browsers, and may be listed
among browser plug-ins as "Shockwave Flash"), Adobe Reader (for
PDF files), and Acrobat software.  A corrective update for the
Flash software has been released at

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

with ones for Adobe Reader and Acrobat promised today
(2009/07/31) according to:

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-10.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/nqthpt

See also

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa09-03.html

It is important to note that updates to the affected plug-ins are
NOT done automatically by web browsers (though those for Adobe
Reader presumably will be available for those using automatic or
manual update-checks in that software).

Apologies again for the off-topic, and as ever for the
consequences of cross-posting.


Terrence Lockyer
Johannesburg, South Africa