Adobe has been hacked! Most hacks of
major computer companies have little effect on the end user. This
hack has the potential to be very different. With the source code
stolen for such widespread products as Adobe PDF Reader and Flash
Player, hackers can now carefully look through every line of code to
find an exploit. Most security exploits take thousands of tests and
countless hours of trying to find a loop hole. With the source code,
this process will be exponentially faster. Unfortunately, all we can
do as an end user is wait and see what the hackers do with this
information. Perhaps the best line of defense is to not use Adobe
products until this breech has been resolved. Adobe PDF Reader is
easily replaced with others such as Sumatra PDF or Foxit.
Unfortunately, Adobe Flash is not so replaceable. Most sites with
online streaming or videos require it. Giving up online videos while
you wait for a security breach to be fixed is a lot to ask for some,
especially since we don't know when the hackers will strike. It could
be in weeks, months, or years. There is no way to predict. It's left
up to us to weigh the pros and cons and decide if the risk of attack
is worth the cost of protection. As for my house, my wife is calling
me for an evening of Lie to Me on Netflix and a big bowl of
ice cream. Who could pass that up?
Hearing about these type of attacks makes me not want to be in charge of the security side of programming. Hopefully Adobe can find a good resolution to this unfortunate event.
ReplyDeleteYeah, this stuff is scary. Warfare in any future war will definitely be cyber-related just for how much damage can be done like this. I hope they don't find any serious security risk in the source code. Of course, I'm probably wrong.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be a bad idea to use a flash blocking browser plugin too.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that as security grows, so do the ways to get around the system.So many issues with security!
ReplyDeleteThe theft side of the industry seems to be booming. Might be worth considering a change in career path.
ReplyDelete