Hackers love Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE).
That's according to a recent security report from McAfee (NYSE:MFE), which, like Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC), makes software that secures computers and networks. In a new report, McAfee predicts that Adobe's technologies could become as much a target as Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Office suite, BusinessWeek reports.
Evidence lends credence to the assertion. In November, BusinessWeek reported that Adobe had released nine security updates to its Acrobat Reader software, up from four the year prior. The magazine quoted a Moscow security lab that said Adobe's software had become the main doorway through which hackers could take control of PCs.
Hackers apparently exploit the way Adobe's Flash and Reader software tend to deliver downloadable documents and media, spiking those goodies with malicious code for unsuspecting users to download.
To be fair, the fault may lie in the popularity, rather than design, of Adobe's software. Hackers attack what we use most. Take Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone. Some "jail-broken" handsets were Rickrolled when users failed to take some basic precautions, such as changing the iPhone's default password.
Security threats are ever-present in computing, but the rise of cloud computing, smartphones, and social media has increased the number of available digital targets. Adobe has its hands full, but so do we all.
What are you doing to protect yourself from threats in 2010? Given the security threats, would you avoid Adobe at its current share price? Weigh in using the comments box below.
