If you’re running Adobe Acrobat or Reader, you might not want to open any PDFs unless you trust the sender. Adobe confirmed that hackers are currently exploiting a hole in the two programs, using PDFs to trick people into giving them full access to their computers.

The hole was revealed yesterday after security firm FireEye discovered it and reported it to Adobe. Adobe released a statement yesterday and updated it today to say that it is aware of the vulnerabilities and is currently working on a fix. The company went on to call the holes “critical” and confirmed that hackers are specifically using this attack to gain full control of your computer. Once in, they’d be able to access all your information, and if you’re a business, it could be an entry way into the broader network.

The vulnerability touches Adobe Reader XI, versions 11.0.01 and earlier; Reader X, 10.1.5 and earlier; Reader 9.5.3 (and earlier versions only for those Reader versions beginning with 9.x). All those versions affect both Windows and Macs except for the last, which also hits Linux. As far as Adobe Acrobat goes, it affects Acrobat XI, version 11.0.01 and earlier; X, versions 10.1.5 and earlier; and Acrobat 9.5.3, with all versions within the 9.x scheme also affected. Both Mac and Windows programs are hit here as well.

Aside from not opening PDFs, Adobe suggests Windows users protect themselves by using “Protected View.” You can set up Protected View by heading over to the Edit tab and going into Preferences, then Security (Enhanced) menu to turn it on.

Adobe has not yet said when it will release a fix.

Adobe image via midiman/Flickr

Sept. 9 - 10, 2013 San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Here’s some news to perk up your office space: Adobe has just unveiled the 11th version of Acrobat, its PDF reading and editing software, and the newest version brings a few cloud-friendly features to the mix, as well.

This announcement comes on the heels of the company’s big launch for Edge, a web-focused suite of development and design tools. In chats with Adobe execs last week, we learned that the company is “certainly looking at what makes sense to run in the cloud. We don’t want to make something run in the browser just because.”

The goes for Adobe’s big-ticket design software as well as for its lightweight document management tools, today’s news shows. Acrobat will now feature complete PDF editing (including image and object editing) and touch features for tablets, as well as cloud services like EchoSign (a signature software company Adobe acquired last year) and FormsCentral, Adobe’s software for building forms and using the data they collect.

Oh, and there’ll be Office and SharePoint integration and PowerPoint, Word, and Excel exports for the Microsoft faithful. In fact, SharePoint and Office 365 are part of Acrobat’s big push into the cloud.

“Working with online forms, collaborative PDF reviews, and signatures are the everyday norm for business professionals who were once simply content creators,” said Acrobat czar* Kevin Lynch in an Adobe-issued statement on the news.

“IT departments need to support these changes while maintaining and maximizing the use of existing infrastructures and systems, as well as provide support and services that enable their organizations to take advantage of new business opportunities, improve results, justify return on investment, and lower the total cost of ownership.”

* Actual title: “senior vice president and general manager of Acrobat and Document Services at Adobe,” but we thought “czar” sounded snappier and conveyed roughly the same sentiment.