Another blast about Adobe.  Whatever else bad we had to say about
PureEdge, at least it was stable:)

Our IT Manager brought this to my attention, pretty scary. What do
our IT Colleagues on the listserv think about this.

I think I will recommend to our campus to now upgrade to Adobe Reader
8.1.2.  This is just a week after I said to up grade to 8.1.1 :(

Bob
xxxxxx@umich.edu

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dan Stanish <x>
Date: February 12, 2008 12:32:53 PM GMT-05:00
To: Robert R Beattie <xxxxxx@umich.edu>
Subject: US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-043A -- Adobe
Reader and Acrobat Vulnerabilities (fwd)
Reply-To: DRDA Computer Support <xxxxxx@umich.edu>

Any word on Acrobat Reader 8.1.2 and Grants.gov?  Reader 8.1.1 has a
security flaw, and I'd like to get the update out ASAP.

Thanks.

-Dan

---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Date: February 12, 2008 9:52:51 AM -0500
From: CERT Advisory <xxxxxx@cert.org>
To: xxxxxx@cert.org
Subject: US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-043A -- Adobe
Reader and Acrobat Vulnerabilities

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

 National Cyber Alert System

 Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-043A

Adobe Reader and Acrobat Vulnerabilities

 Original release date: February 12, 2008
 Last revised: --
 Source: US-CERT

Systems Affected

 * Adobe Reader version 8.1.1 and earlier
 * Adobe  Acrobat  Professional,  3D, and Standard versions 8.1.1
and
 earlier

Overview

 Adobe  has  released  Security  advisory APSA08-01 to address
multiple
 vulnerabilities affecting Adobe Reader and Acrobat. The most
severe of
 these  vulnerabilities  could  allow  a  remote  attacker  to
execute
 arbitrary code.

I. Description

 Adobe    Security   advisory   APSA08-01   addresses   a
number   of
 vulnerabilities  affecting  the  Adobe  Acrobat  family  of
products,
 including  Adobe  Reader.  Acrobat  versions  8.1.1  and  earlier
are
 affected.  Further  details are available in the US-CERT
Vulnerability
 Notes Database.

 An  attacker  could exploit these vulnerabilities by convincing a
user
 to load a specially crafted Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
file.
 Acrobat  integrates with popular web browsers, and visiting a web
site
 is usually sufficient to cause Acrobat to load PDF content.

 At least one of these vulnerabilities is being actively exploited.
The
 SANS Internet Storm Center Handler's Diary contains more information.

II. Impact

 The  impacts  of  these vulnerabilities vary. The most severe of
these
 vulnerabilities allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.

III. Solution

Upgrade

 Upgrade  Adobe  Reader  or  Acrobat  to version 8.1.2 according to
the
 information in Adobe Security advisory APSA08-01.

Disable web browser display for PDF documents

 Preventing  PDF  documents  from  opening  inside  a  web  browser
may
 mitigate  this  vulnerability.  Applying  the  following
workaround in
 conjunction  with  upgrading  may prevent similar vulnerabilities
from
 being automatically exploited.

 To  prevent  PDF  documents  from  automatically being opened in a
web
 browser with Acrobat or Reader:
 1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
 2. Open the Edit menu.
 3. Choose the Preferences option.
 4. Choose the Internet section.
 5. De-select the "Display PDF in browser" check box.

Disable automatic opening of PDF documents in Microsoft Internet
Explorer

 To  disable  automatic  opening  of  PDF  files  in Microsoft
Internet
 Explorer  (IE),  a  second step is required. To configure IE to
prompt
 before  opening  a  PDF  file,  disable  the  "Display PDF in
browser"
 feature  (as  described  above) and then make the following
changes to
 the Windows registry:

 Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AcroExch.Document.7]
 "EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

Disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader and Acrobat

 Disabling  JavaScript  in  Adobe  Reader  and Acrobat may prevent
this
 vulnerability  from being exploited. In Acrobat Reader, JavaScript
can
 be  disabled  in  the General preferences dialog (Edit -->
Preferences
 --> JavaScript, de-select Enable Acrobat JavaScript).

IV. References

 * US-CERT  Vulnerability Notes for Adobe Security advisory
APSA08-01
 - <http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/byid?searchview&query=APSA08-01>

 * Securing Your Web Browser -
 <http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/securing_browser/>

 * Adobe Security Advisory APSA08-01 -
 <http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa08-01.html>

 * Adobe Reader 8.1.2 Release Notes -
 <http://www.adobe.com/go/kb403079>

 * SANS Internet Storm Center Handler's Diary -
 <http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=3958>

 * Configuring Windows Explorer - Registry EditFlags -
 <http://mc-computing.com/WinExplorer/WinExplorerEditFlags.htm>

 * Internet Explorer Opens .exe Files Instead of Downloading Them -
 <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/140991>

 * Office Documents opening in IE -
 <http://blogs.msdn.com/omars/archive/2004/04/29/123181.aspx>

____________________________________________________________________

 The most recent version of this document can be found at:

 <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-043A.html>
____________________________________________________________________

 Feedback can be directed to US-CERT Technical Staff. Please send
 email to <xxxxxx@cert.org> with "TA08-043A Feedback VU#666281" in the
 subject.
____________________________________________________________________

 For instructions on subscribing to or unsubscribing from this
 mailing list, visit <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/signup.html>.
____________________________________________________________________

 Produced 2008 by US-CERT, a government organization.

 Terms of use:

 <http://www.us-cert.gov/legal.html>
____________________________________________________________________

Revision History

 February 12, 2008: Initial release
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---------- End Forwarded Message ----------

Dan Stanish
DRDA/Computer Support
xxxxxx@umich.edu
936-1368

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