Google warns of using Adobe Reader - particularly on Linux

By +Frank B.
in Back Page News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

+Frank B. Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

Google warns of using Adobe Reader - particularly on Linux

On its August Patch Day, Adobe has fixed numerous critical memory-related bugs in Reader for Windows and Mac OS X ? but has chosen to overlook Linux users. The researchers who discovered the holes now fear that potential attackers could find enough clues to build an exploit by comparing the current Windows version of Reader with the previous one. This would leave Linux users defenceless. On top of that, even the patched versions still contain a total of 16 open security holes.

Google employees Mateusz Jurczyk and Gynvael Coldwind initially examined the PDF engine of the Chrome browser and discovered numerous holes. They then tested Adobe Reader and found about 60 issues that triggered crashes, 40 of which are potential attack vectors. When the two researchers reported their discoveries to Adobe, the company promised to provide fixes ? but also indicated that not all the holes would be closed on Patch Day in August.

On Tuesday, that is exactly what happened. Versions 10.1.4 and 9.5.2 were released for Windows and Mac OS X only. Even these patched versions are still vulnerable to 16 of the reported issues that affect Windows, Mac OS X or both systems. To prove this, the Google employees have released obfuscated information concerning the crashes. The security experts say that the unpatched holes could potentially be identified by third parties because they were found by modifying publicly available PDF documents.

Apparently, the researchers' threat to publish all vulnerability details online in accordance with "responsible disclosure" did not worry Adobe. The deadline is set for 60 days after the day on which the researchers informed Adobe about the holes: 27 August. However, Adobe told the researchers that no further updates are planned in that timeframe.

The Google employees therefore recommend that users refrain from opening any PDF documents from external sources in Adobe Reader. Those who use a browser other than Chrome can protect themselves by disabling the Reader's browser extension. The extension allows the holes to be exploited with a simple visit to a specially crafted web page.

Windows users who still use version 9 of Reader have been advised to upgrade to Adobe Reader X, because this version contains a sandbox that makes exploiting the holes more difficult. While Linux users can fix two of the holes by deleting the annots.api and PPKLite.api plug-ins from the /path/to/Adobe/Reader9/Reader/intellinux/plug_ins directory, this seems like a drop in the ocean when considering the total number of holes that riddle Reader for Linux.

Source: The H Online

Veteran

The Dark Knight

Posted
Posted

I stopped using that bug ridden bloatware on all platforms a long time ago.

What do you use instead? I am also looking for a good replacement.

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

I use Foxit on Windows, haven't used Adobe reader for about 3 years. It's bloated, slow, and now apparently insecure. And I didn't know the PDF plugin in Chrome was made by Adobe, how do I disable it?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • BATorrent 4.0.0

      By Copernic · Posted

      BATorrent 4.0.0 by Razvan Serea BATorrent is a lightweight, open-source BitTorrent client built with modern C++ and Qt 6, offering a clean, fast, and privacy-focused alternative to traditional torrent apps. It supports magnet links, .torrent files, resume data, sequential downloading, per-file priorities, and even imports from qBittorrent. Power users benefit from integrated RSS auto-download with regex filtering, duplicate detection, and automatic tracker lists from Stremio. Streaming is seamless thanks to auto-detected players like VLC and IINA. BATorrent includes robust VPN tools—interface binding, auto-detection for WireGuard-based services like Mullvad and NordLynx, kill switch, proxy support, and IP filtering. A full WebUI enables remote control, while integrations with Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby automate library updates. With themes, speed scheduling, system-tray alerts, and cross-platform support for Windows, Linux, and macOS, BATorrent delivers a polished, high-performance torrenting experience. BATorrent features: Core .torrent file and magnet link support Resume data — picks up where you left off after restart Import torrents from qBittorrent Create .torrent files from any file or folder Sequential download mode Per-file priority control (skip, low, normal, high) Seed ratio limits with auto-pause DHT, PEX, UPnP, NAT-PMP RSS Auto-Download Subscribe to RSS feeds — automatically download new torrents as they appear Regex filters — match only what you want (e.g. 1080p|720p, S01E\d+) Per-feed settings — custom save path, check interval (5–1440 min), enable/disable Auto-download — matched items are downloaded automatically in the background Supports magnet links, .torrent URLs, and tags Tray notifications when items are auto-downloaded Duplicate detection — never downloads the same item twice Stremio Stremio Addon System pre-installed — works out of the box Auto tracker list from ngosang/trackerslist Streaming Play while downloading — stream video files before the download is complete Supports mp4, mkv, avi, mov, wmv, flv, webm, m4v, ts Auto-detects installed players (VLC, IINA, system default) VPN & Privacy Interface binding — lock torrent traffic to a specific network interface (e.g. tun0) Auto VPN detection — identifies VPN interfaces (tun, tap, WireGuard, Mullvad, NordLynx, ProtonVPN) Kill switch — automatically pauses all torrents if the VPN interface drops Auto-resume — resumes only the torrents paused by the kill switch when VPN reconnects Proxy support — SOCKS5 and HTTP proxy with optional authentication IP filtering — load P2P blocklists to block unwanted IP ranges Protocol encryption (enabled / forced / disabled) WebUI Remote management — control torrents from any browser at http://localhost:8080 REST API with JSON responses Add torrents via magnet link or .torrent upload Pause, resume, remove torrents remotely View peers and files per torrent Dark theme matching the desktop app HTTP Basic Auth with SHA-256 password hashing Configurable port and remote access (localhost vs 0.0.0.0) Interface 3 themes: Dark, Light, Midnight (bat/vampire aesthetic) Real-time speed graph Detailed panel with tabs: General, Peers, Files, Trackers Filter bar: search by name, filter by state (Active, Downloading, Seeding, Paused, Finished) Drag & drop .torrent files and magnet links Drag & drop reorder in torrent list System tray with notifications (download complete, kill switch events, RSS auto-downloads) Splash screen with bat animation Bilingual: English and Portuguese (BR), auto-detected from system locale Bandwidth Scheduler Alternative speed limits — set different download/upload limits on a schedule Time range — configure active hours (e.g. 01:00 to 07:00), supports overnight ranges Per-day control — choose which days of the week the schedule applies Automatically switches between normal and alternative speeds Media Server Integration Plex — automatically trigger library scan when a download completes Jellyfin / Emby — same automatic library refresh via API Configure server URL and authentication token/key in Settings System Cross-platform: Windows, Linux, macOS Auto-shutdown — automatically shut down PC when all downloads complete (60s cancellable countdown) Auto-update system (AppImage on Linux, installer on Windows, DMG on macOS) CLI arguments: pass .torrent files or magnet: URIs directly Keyboard shortcuts: Space to toggle pause, Ctrl+A to select all, Ctrl+O to open Download: BATorrent 4.0.0 | 37.4 MB (Open Source) Download: BATorrent Portable | 51.7 MB Links: BATorrent Website | Screenshot | Changelog Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Signal accuses UK government of using child safety as cover for mass surveillance

      By ParadiseLost · Posted

      Well duh. But it's not their agenda, they just push it forward.
    • Google Chrome is killing all uBlock Origin bypasses, Microsoft Edge, Opera to follow

      By fernan99 · Posted

      Easier to move to Firefox, either Zen Browser or LibreWolf (which includes it by default)
    • Google Chrome is killing all uBlock Origin bypasses, Microsoft Edge, Opera to follow

      By Snake Doc · Posted

      People do not care. We are all tourists on this trip called life. So many others thing you can do, should do, then worry about trying to protect data collection. Not using Chrome, the most popular, most compatible and fastest patched browser on the market, because of data collection or some moral/political reason....is a complete waste of time IMHO. But we all get roughly the same amount of time on this trip, feel free to spend yours doing whatever makes you happy.
    • Google Chrome is killing all uBlock Origin bypasses, Microsoft Edge, Opera to follow

      By NextGen_Gamer · Posted

      Does anyone know how the Ghostery extension works in Google Chrome? I switched to that quite a while ago, from uBlock Origin after uBlock started having issues just working. Personally I love Ghostery and I think it does a fantastic job, and I really enjoy the whitelist I have built up as well for tons of websites that don't serve ads so that it isn't blocking good elements of them by accident.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • First Post
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      skylerssviv earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      mobmobiles earned a badge
      One Month Later

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      510
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      229
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      108
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      88
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      83
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!