PDF News: Acrobat Security Update, New Foxit Reader

Adobe has released "critical" updates for its Acrobat and Adobe Reader products, while Foxit has added new features in an upgrade to its own PDF Reader.The Adobe updates represent an accelerated release of the company's quarterly updates, originally scheduled for July 13. (This means there won't be any new updates on that day.) The releases address vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.3.2 and earlier for Windows, Mac, and UNIX machines; and Reader and Acrobat 8.2.2 and earlier for Windows and Mac. According to the Adobe security bulletin, the vulnerabilities "could cause the application to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system."

Both products have automatic update features, so they should update themselves next time you run them. The security bulletin also provides links for downloading the updates directly.

One of Adobe's competitors, meanwhile, has come out with a new version of their Reader product. Foxit Reader 4.0 (Windows only) performs an assortment of expected PDF-related functions, from opening, viewing, and printing to adding bookmarks and links. The new version adds a typewriter tool that lets you add text anywhere on the page -- handy for filling out non-interactive forms. It also offers an assortment of drawing, markup, and commenting tools, as well as a stamp tool for adding repeated items. An interesting addition is a tool for measuring distances and objects in PDF documents, something the company says will let you "add a professional look and feel to your document."

The Foxit Reader is free. The company also offers a suite of other PDF-related products, including their PDF Editor ($99) and Foxit Phantom ($129), a full PDF manipulation tool.

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