You have probably visited sites like I have and suddenly, bam, a pdf file opens which is called from an advertisement.  Well maybe what I’m saying doesn’t have anything to with the most recent flaw, but this is one extra thing Adobe should be adding on to their list of must haves  such as a warning ‘do you wish to open this file.’

While I rant about that, currently Adobe Systems Inc. is warning about a potential new security flaw in their Adobe Reader product which should put you in attention mode and possible have you wondering as to whether you should keep it or abandon it.

Meanwhile, the warning is reportedly to be for Linux, but it is also being stated that other operating systems may also be affected by this new security hole which is a Javascript flaw.

If you don’t remember, earlier in February, hackers took aim at Adobe Reader with another Javascript vulnerability which allowed them to break into machines running the software. So what should you do?

There are a number of other free pdf readers available such as the compact Foxit Reader,  which I use on several systems or PDF-XChange Viewer. And remember change is always good sometimes when it comes to frequent vulnerabilities.

If you’re still holding on to Adobe Reader, meanwhile you can disable Javascript in Reader, but this doesn’t guarantee you won’t be effected by the new vulnerability and cause weird behavior from Adobe Reader.

Edit >> Preferences >> Javascript and then uncheck the box next to  “Enable Acrobat Javascript.”