Time to Update Adobe Reader

Regular readers know that I don’t always encourage folks to download updates immediately after they’re released. For instance, tomorrow Microsoft will be releasing a new update that fixes a number of issues. Included are 7 critical fixes and 5 important fixes. I usually recommend waiting 7–10 days just to make sure there aren’t unique problems caused by these updates.

Past articles:

• More AutoUpdate Problems


• AutoUpdates are Evil

I do have an exception this week. Adobe has released a fix for their popular Adobe Reader which is used to render PDF files. In the past, Adobe Reader was a program you’d download as needed but PDF files are now so popular it’s extremely likely the Adobe Reader has already been installed on your system.

A number of malicious PDF files have been seen in the wild and we’ve had reports of infection attempts using a vulnerability in Adobe Reader. You can update your system by downloading the new Adobe Reader at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

In the grand tradition of companies trying to shove their other products down our throat you’ll see a pre-checked box encouraging you to download the 50 MB Photoshop Album Starter Edition. While this may not be a bad package, I recommend you uncheck the box and concentrate on just updating that Adobe Reader. That way if you do have some kind of problem you’ll know which application introduced the change.