Most everyone knows not to open executables (e.g., .exe, .bat, etc.) and documents (e.g., .doc, .xls, .ppt, .html, etc.) received via email when they’re not expected. However, did you know that Adobe Acrobat documents (.pdf) fall into the same category?? It’s quite straightforward for an attacker to invisibly modify a pdf document in such a way that it takes control of your PC when you open it. Unfortunately, anti-virus programs won’t always detect these malicious pdf documents accurately.

There are two ways to protect yourself:

1. Make sure you have the latest version of Adobe software (go to Help and click on Check for Updates). For example, the latest version of Adobe Acrobat, as of this posting, is 8.13.

2. Don’t receive, open, install, etc. any email attachments unless you’re expecting them.

The latest version of Adobe Acrobat was recently released and attackers are already exploiting out of date versions.

Stay safe,
Nick