On Oct 3, 2013, Adobe Systems Inc. announced that its network had been breached. The cyber attack compromised information relating to Adobe’s 2.9 million customers, including payment data such as credit card numbers, as well as the source code for popular Adobe products, such as Adobe Acrobat, ColdFusion, and ColdFusion Builder.
Adobe reported that the stolen payment card information was encrypted, thus the financial risk to its customers is not believed to be critical. Nevertheless, the company has begun the process of notifying the affected customers, offering them free credit monitoring for one year. Other account holders have been advised to reset their passwords as a precautionary measure.
The theft of the product source code poses a more significant concern, as it increases the likelihood and volume of zero-day exploits — malicious attacks against vulnerabilities that are not yet known to either the software developer or the public. The best way for an Adobe user to safeguard against such attacks is to:
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Ensure that Adobe software is kept up-to-date
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To run only vendor-supported versions of the software
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To apply all available security updates
The same hackers thought to be responsible are linked to major breaches of giant data aggregator companies earlier this year; they are also believed to be involved in the breach of PR Newswire this week. Investigators have determined that these hackers specialize in attacking ColdFusion vulnerabilities. With the source code in their possession, there is enormous potential for harm.
Soon after the breach, Adobe issued security updates for Adobe Reader and Acrobat. Although the fixes are unrelated to the breach, it is strongly recommended that all users of Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat apply these updates immediately. The same recommendation shall also apply to future updates unless otherwise advised.
Adobe Security Bulletin for Adobe Reader and Acrobat:
http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb13-25.html
– Computing and Communications Services