Adobe recommends upgrading for some users of Version 5 to prevent the remote execution of malicious code.Adobe Systems on Tuesday warned users of its Adobe Reader 5.0 for Linux and Unix that a security vulnerability could leave their systems open to remote hijacking.
The buffer overflow vulnerability is present in Versions 5.0.9 or 5.0.10 for Linux, Solaris, IBM-AIX and HP-UX, according to the company's security alert. The Denmark-based security analyst company Secunia rated the flaw as "highly critical," and Adobe advised users to upgrade to more recent versions of Reader.
Click here to read about a recent security advisory regarding Acrobat and Reader on Mac OS.
The Adobe Systems Inc. advisory said the vulnerability could cause a buffer overflow that would enable the remote execution of arbitrary code if the user were to open a PDF document attached to e-mail or accessed via a Web link.
Adobe advises users of earlier versions to download and install Adobe Reader 7.0.
In addition, the company advised users running IBM-AIX or HP-UX to upgrade Reader to Version 5.0.11.
Code execution flaws are discovered regularly for almost all types of programs on all operating systems, from enterprise backup software to digital media players. These vulnerabilities provide attractive targets for attackers.
Adobe in mid-June warned of a vulnerability affecting multiple products on Windows, including Photoshop CS, Adobe Creative Suite 1.0 and Adobe Premiere Pro 1.x. In this case, the problem was a flaw in the installation of the License Management Service, which ships with a number of Adobe products that require product activation.
But the newer CS2 versions of Photoshop and Creative Suite are not exposed to the vulnerability, the company said.
