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It’s Time to Update Java

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

If you have Java installed on your PC, don’t ignore those prompts to update it.  According to a recent analysis by the Microsoft Malware Protection Center, they have found a twelvefold increase in malware exploits targeting Java in the last six months.  In fact, the number of PCs infected by Java exploits now far exceed those infected by Adobe Reader exploits, another favorite target.  Vendors of anti-virus & anti-malware software have a difficult time parsing Java code without seriously impacting the performance of your PC.  Therefore, Java has become a target of choice for malware attacks.

Download the latest Java updates,  or consider using a tool such as Secunia Personal Software Inspector to keep your patches up to date.

SKohler   Frederick Ward
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Update Your Acrobat!

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Haven’t updated your Acrobat Reader lately? Then it’s time to pay attention! Adobe has recently released a major security patch.

According to a ComputerWorld article, 61% of the nearly 900 targeted attacks it’s tracked in the first two months of 2010 exploited a vulnerability in Acrobat Reader, Adobe’s popular PDF viewer.

FWA, like many firms, uses Microsoft tools to automatically patch the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office on its PC’s and servers, but third-party software from vendors such as Adobe is another matter.

Uninstall earlier versions of the Reader (v8 or less) and download the latest version from Adobe. Be sure you have version 9.3 or better, or you are not adequately patched.

If you are running the full version of Acrobat or Acrobat Pro (the PDF writer, not Acrobat Reader), use the “Check for Updates Now” option from the pull downs in the software to upgrade to the latest release for your version.

SKohler   Odds and Ends
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