FHK SitRep 09.23.07: Don’t Open that PDF File!

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PDF Files are normally a good way to share your documents and protect their integrity at the same time. For example, if you’ve written a paper in MS Word, and want to share it with someone, it might not be the best idea to e-mail the MS Word document. If the person you’re sending it to is unscrupulous, he might modify the document before sharing it with others. Or, if the person you’re sending it to is not computer-literate, he might accidentally modify the document.

This is much more difficult to do with a PDF file, which looks exactly like a paper copy of your original document.

However, a “security researcher” (read: “paid hacker”) has recently discovered a problem with Adobe’s (the creator of the PDF) Acrobat Reader that could allow an intruder to gain control of a computer via a PDF File. The problem is apparently so serious that the hacker has promised not to release the hacking code until Adobe develops a patch for the problem. Read more about that here.

Bottom line? Don’t open any more PDF files until you locate and download the patch. More info when it becomes available.

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