Adobe Vulnerability Requires Update to Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader

Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader users should install Adobe's new 8.1.2 update immediately to protect themselves from potential software vulnerabilities, according to ITS Security Operations and Services (SOS).

Adobe has recently released Acrobat/Reader version 8.1.2 to combat the Zonebac trojan vulnerabilities in all previous Acrobat and Reader versions (8, 7.0.9, 7 and earlier). Adobe Reader is installed on all Enterprise computers.

If you are currently in the Enterprise Network (AG domain), IT will automatically update Adobe Reader on your computer starting Wednesday February 27th. Your computer will receive the update the first time it is available on the network. You do not need to leave your computer in the office that evening.

If you are not a part of the Enterprise Network, please see our How To Install and Configure Adobe Reader for Windows for steps on updating Adobe Reader to the current version.

Keep in mind, only version 8 of the "full" Adobe Acrobat can be updated for free. If you are still using a previous version of the "full" Adobe Acrobat (versions 7 and earlier), you should purchase a license for Adobe Acrobat 8. This is available to faculty, staff and students at the Penn State Computer Store at http://www.computerstore.psu.edu/. Once the software has been purchased, you can remove the vulnerable older version, install the new version, and then visit the Adobe Web site at http://www.adobe.com/ to apply the necessary product updates.

Adobe Acrobat is Departmental Site Licensed software. If you search for Adobe Acrobat 8.0 in the Computer Store's Product Quick Search box, you will see a Acrobat Pro 8.0 Win License ($40.00 SLWNSR040 ) and Acrobat Pro 8.0 Win Media ($5.00 SMWNSR036). These are sold separately. Why? Often a Department will buy 1 copy of the media. Then Faculty or Staff purchase their individual license for $40. You can then sign out the departmental CD for the install. But, if you want a CD of your own, you would need to purchase both a copy of the media along with a paper license.