Adobe have recently announced a critical exploit in Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader which could potentially give attackers control of your computer.

The exploit for Adobe Reader is in the authplay.dll component, also shipped with Adobe Acrobat.

The problem with this exploit is that it’s already well-known. Attackers are taking advantage of the problem and are getting access to other computers through it. If you’re currently using Adobe Flash with a version that isn’t 10.0.32.18, you need to update your Adobe Flash installation. Simply re-install it by going to Adobe Flash Download. Users of Adobe Reader who haven’t installed the 9.1.3 security patch should do so immediately by visiting Adobe Reader Download. These versions have fixed the exploit.

If you’re using the Firefox Internet Browser, you may have noticed a tab automatically opening which makes you aware of the exploit so you can update your Adobe products. This is great for Firefox users, as it helps create awareness of the solution to a problem you may not have even known about.

The exploit isn’t just for Windows however, it works on Mac computers too.

One of the problems in the exploit was a memory corruption problem, which gives attackers remote code execution. Also in the list of problems was a heap overflow vulnerability, a null pointer vulnerability, a stack overflow vulnerability and a clickjacking vulnerability (Capable of giving attackers the ability to unknowingly take you to a page in your web browser).

In the Mac computers, there is a privledge escalation vulnerability which could give attackers admin privledges on your computer.

If you have Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat installed in your computer, it is recommended that you update your products as soon as possible, to avoid you being attacked by these nasty vulnerabilities.