Adobe releases Acrobat, Reader security updates

New versions of Adobe Reader (9.3.4) and Acrobat (9.3.4, 8.2.4) have been released today in order to patch critical vulnerabilities in earlier versions of the two programs for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX.

The flaws in question – one of which was discussed at Black Hat USA 2010 and another that was revealed by researcher Didier Stevens back at the end of March – could cause the applications to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.

Users are advised to update their software immediately. This update is an out-of-cycle release. The next security update for Adobe Reader and Acrobat is scheduled for October.