KrebsOnSecurity.com reports “Adobe Systems Inc. is urging users to update installations of Adobe Reader and Acrobat to fix a critical flaw that attackers have been exploiting to break into vulnerable systems. … The update brings Adobe Acrobat and Reader to version 9.3.3 (another update for the older 8.2 line of both products brings the latest version to v. 8.2.3). Patches are available for Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris versions of these programs. Adobe’s advisory for this update is here, and the Reader update is available from this link — or by opening the program and clicking “Help” and “Check for Updates.” If you download the update from the Adobe Reader homepage, you’ll end up with a bunch of other stuff you probably don’t want.”
Users discouraged by the ongoing discovery of critical vulnerabilities in Acrobat Reader may want to consider switching to other free PDF readers may be less of a target for malicious hackers. Examples of other free PDF readers include Foxit Reader, Nitro PDF Reader, and Sumatra.