Adobe Reader is a good software program if you don't consider it a magnet for hack attacks, but cybersecurity researchers recently told Forbes magazine that its software programs have vulnerabilities most often used by hackers to victimize users' PCs this year.

It has certain qualities that make it easy to hack, they say. Nearly every web user has installed Reader, researchers say. It has a complex code base that offers a high risk of flaws. And it accesses enough of a user's machine to give hackers a powerful foothold.

"It's a very good playground for exploitation," Pedram Amini, a researcher at 3Com told Forbes.

Adobe is trying to be proactive. In May, it instituted a quarterly patching cycle for Reader, similar to what Microsoft does. But Adobe isn't the only hacker target. Older targets like Internet Explorer and Firefox are still in the mix, according to Forbes. The magazine also says browser bugs still allow "drive-by" downloads, malware that infects a user's computer when he or she merely visits a site. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Its time to take no chances with Adobe Reader.

For more on Adobe and hacking:
- see this Forbes magazine article

Related Articles:
Adobe to push out new Acrobat security patches
Adobe enhances Acrobat.com