Acrobat Reader security update

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Adobe logoForty-seven security vulnerabilities in Acrobat Reader — many of them flagged as Critical — prompted Adobe to release a fixed version on May 14.

Acrobat Reader comes in a few different flavours, but the one targeted at regular users is Acrobat Reader DC, which is also sometimes refererred to as Acrobat Reader DC (Continuous Track). See the post Adobe Acrobat Reader updates from 2018Feb16 for more information about Acrobat/Reader variants.

Acrobat Reader DC version 2018.011.20040 contains fixes for all forty-seven vulnerabilities documented on the associated security bulletin.

You can install the latest Reader by visiting the Get Acrobat Reader page on Adobe’s web site. Don’t forget to disable any checkboxes for installing optional software. When I installed Acrobat Reader DC 2018.011.20040 from that page earlier, there were three such options, all enabled by default:

  • Install the Acrobat Reader Chrome Extension
  • … install the free McAfee Security Scan Plus utility …
  • … install McAfee Safe Connect …

Unless you know for sure you want to use those products, it’s best to avoid them.

About jrivett

Jeff Rivett has worked with and written about computers since the early 1980s. His first computer was an Apple II+, built by his father and heavily customized. Jeff's writing appeared in Computist Magazine in the 1980s, and he created and sold a game utility (Ultimaker 2, reviewed in the December 1983 Washington Apple Pi Journal) to international markets during the same period. Proceeds from writing, software sales, and contract programming gigs paid his way through university, earning him a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree at UWO. Jeff went on to work as a programmer, sysadmin, and manager in various industries. There's more on the About page, and on the Jeff Rivett Consulting site.

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