If you’re trying to beef up security measures, there’s one new area to watch out for: PDF files with malicious code.
In the first quarter of 2009, 56% of all exploits targeted flaws in Adobe’s Reader and Acrobat apps, according to security firm ScanSafe’s annual threat report.
That number climbed to 80% in the fourth quarter.
The likely reason: Flaws in Adobe’s software got a lot of press at the end of the year, leading more hackers to target those vulnerabilities.
Some steps you can take to keep your network safe:
- Download recent patches from Adobe at tinyurl.com/adobe298
- Consider using an alternate PDF reader, such as Foxit Reader or PDF X-Change Viewer, and
- Remind users not to open attachments in e-mails from unknown sources.