Google warns of using Adobe Reader - particularly on Linux

ronjor · Aug 15, 2012

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.
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http://www.h-online.com/security/ne...obe-Reader-particularly-on-Linux-1668153.html

Hungry Man · Aug 16, 2012

Not a big deal. Apparmor should work really well for a PDF reader. You can restrict it to pretty much only have read access, except to its own config files, and deny network access as well.

siljaline · Aug 16, 2012

Also spotted at: Info Security Magazine

During June, Google researchers seeking to strengthen the security posture of the embedded PDF reader for Chrome discovered numerous vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader. Most of these were patched in this week’s Adobe security update – but not for Linux.

This is worrying the researchers, Mateusz “j00ru” Jurczyk and Gynvael Coldwind. “Unfortunately, sixteen more crashes affecting Windows, OS X, or both systems remain unpatched.” But this is not their main concern. The vulnerabilities were not made public by the researchers, and they “have no evidence these bugs are being exploited today.” Ironically, it is the patched vulnerabilities rather than the unpatched vulnerabilities that are most worrying.

The problem is that attackers can now compare the old versions of Windows or OS/X Reader with the new ones and discover the bugs. “We are concerned,” say the researchers. “that functional exploits can be built without much effort based on knowledge derived from binary diffing of the old and newly patched Windows builds.”
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mirimir · Aug 17, 2012

Why would I want to use Adobe Reader in Linux?

chrisretusn · Aug 17, 2012

mirimir said:

Why would I want to use Adobe Reader in Linux?
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I was wondering the same thing.

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