Symantec warned that a new malware program delivered in Adobe Acrobat PDF file attached to emails was running loose. According to Microsoft, this vulnerability apparently affects Internet Explorer 7 running under Windows XP or Server 2003. Windows Vista is not affected.

What Can You Do To Protect Yourself?

1. Adobe has issued this security bulletin and patch for Acrobat. Download and install it.

2. Don’t open any emails with PDF attachments unless you can absolutely confirm they’re from a legitimate source. Be especially wary of those with generic names like “bill.pdf” or “invoice.pdf”.

3. Use monitoring software that will prevent malicious programs like this one from changing Windows settings.

4. If you’re using a router that allows you to block access to specific IP addresses, block 81.95.146.130. This will prevent the malware payload from being downloaded to your system.

Of course, I would normally recommend not using IE but Firefox instead and to use a mail program that doesn’t use IE to display email. However, this vulnerability is a combination of IE7 and Adobe Acrobat. So, even if you don’t use IE to read you mail, you will still be vulnerable if you have it installed and you open the bad PDF file.

Have you been hit by this virus? Have you seen it? Any other virus protection tips you would like to share? If so, leave a comment.

Computing Hints
PDF, Trojan Horse, Virus