Adobe Reader zero-day

[Tinman57]

Don't open that PDF: There's an Adobe Reader zero-day on the loose

After Java and Flash, now PDF Reader is under attack, with one security firm warning Reader users to avoid PDFs.

http://www.zdnet.com/dont-open-that-pdf-theres-an-adobe-reader-zero-day-on-the-loose-7000011241

[f0dder]

After Java and Flash, now PDF Reader is under attack

Those have been the three major ways for malware to enter Windows machines for a while

A couple alternate (and lightweight!) PDF readers are Sumatra and Foxit Reader. Unless you specifically need Adobe's edition (some government forms and whatever might need it), switch to one of the alternatives - and at the very least, disable the browser plugin and download+open only the PDFs you really need.

[mwb1100]

Also disable Javascript in the Adobe reader preferences, but keep in mind that for me it seemed to periodically turn back on (I'm guessing that some updates did this).

I've long since removed Adobe Reader and replaced it with Sumatra for browser integration and to SDTU Reader for a stand-alone, tabbed reader.

[IainB]

This discussion thread just reminded me to uninstall Adobe Reader.
Now done. Thanks.   

[tomos]

Also disable Javascript in the Adobe reader preferences, but keep in mind that for me it seemed to periodically turn back on (I'm guessing that some updates did this).

I've noticed, in the past, that settings change after updates (and they always put a new shortcut on the desktop...)

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I've disabled plugins a while back but would miss the reader itself - for small documents it's perfectly fast, displays images, graphics and text very well and has a usable interface (with shortcuts etc) - will have to look at some of the other options

[Tinman57]

  I dumped Adobe years ago and have been using PDF-Xchange Viewer ever since....

[TaoPhoenix]

I just found STDU Reader (Scientific and Technical Documentation viewer) and I like it. It opens the fastest of any reader I have tested which is good to avoid that 0.1% stress from viewing 10 pdfs at a time. It also seems to handle the mobile-book formats which previously I had avoided because I don't do things like Kindle etc.