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Security Advisory for Adobe Reader, Acrobat and Flash Player

July 24, 2009

ITS has been alerted to the latest in a series of security vulnerabilities involving Adobe Flash Player, Reader, and Acrobat for all supported operating systems. The vulnerabilities allow remote code execution, access to sensitive information, system takeover, and denial of service. The vulnerabilities are actively being exploited by malicious PDF files and Web sites containing malicious Flash animations. The attack is not currently detected by the majority of antivirus products.

Patches will not be released by the vendor until July 30, 2009. Renaming or removing authplay.dll is the only vendor supplied temporary remediation for Adobe Reader and Acrobat. There is no temporary remediation for Adobe Flash Player. More information can be found at: Adobe Vulnerability Report

In the meantime, we want to remind you that following best computing practices offers additional protection and will reduce the risk of your computer being affected. Please do not open any attachments you are not expecting, do not visit untrusted Web sites, and make sure that automatic antivirus updates are enabled on your computer. In addition, do not give your password to anyone. ITS staff will never ask for your password or personal information. All emails and phone calls requesting personal information should be reported immediately to: help@ucsc.edu.

If you have any questions, please submit an IT Request ticket at https://itrequest.ucsc.edu or contact the ITS Support Center by email help@ucsc.edu, telephone 459-HELP(4357), or in-person at Kerr Hall Room 54.