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Adobe Releases Critical Security Update for Download Manager

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by Michael Holley

Adobe has addressed a "critical vulnerability" in its Download Manager software with a patch released yesterday. The issue could allow an attacker to use the program to plant malware onto a user's computer.

Download manager is a temporary file, in that it is used once per session to help users download other Adobe products and updates and is purged when a computer is turned off. However, failing to delete temporary files upon occasion is a common problem for PCs, so Adobe has provided instructions for how to check to see if you still have the unpatched version of the software somewhere on your computer. The patched version of Adobe Download Manager will accompany all downloads of Adobe products, from today on.

From Adobe's security bulletin:

"Users, who have downloaded Adobe Reader for Windows from http://get.adobe.com/reader/ or Adobe Flash Player for Windows from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ prior to the release of this Security Bulletin on February 23, 2010, can verify they are not vulnerable to this Adobe Download Manager issue by following the instructions below:

  • Ensure that the C:\Program Files\NOS\ folder and its contents ("NOS files") are not present on your system. (If the folder is present, follow the steps below to remove).
  • Click "Start" > "Run" and type "services.msc". Ensure that "getPlus(R) Helper" is not present in the list of services. If the NOS files are found, the Adobe Download Manager issue can be mitigated by:
  • Navigating to Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > Adobe Download Manager, and selecting Remove to remove the Adobe Download Manager from your system.

OR

  • Clicking "Start" > "Run" and typing "services.msc". Then deleting "getPlus(R) Helper" from the list of services.
  • Then delete the C:\Program Files\NOS\ folder and its contents.

This issue is resolved as of February 23, 2010, and no action is required for future downloads of Adobe Reader fromhttp://get.adobe.com/reader/ or Adobe Flash Player from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/."

You can see the bulletin in its entirety here.

Best,

Michael Holley

Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Consulting & Support
Rochester IT Consulting & Support

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