PDF and Excel Vulnerabilities

Just a heads up for everyone.

Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Excel have some vulnerabilities that can effect Windows as well Apple computers that are using these applications. 

Be sure that you trust the source from which you getting any *.pdf (Acrobat) or *.xls (Excel) files prior to opening them. Also be sure that your virus protection is up to date. 


Also, consider using alternative programs:
Acrobat alternative 
for Windows: Foxit Reader
for Mac: Preview (built-in)
 Excel alternative
for Windows: OpenOffice, ThinkFree Office, Google Office, Gnumeric
for Mac: OpenOffice, NeoOffice, Think Free Office, Google Office, iWorks



Information on vulnerabilities with respect to various programs can be found at Secunia's website. In fact! Secunia has a tool that can scan Windows computers and provide you with information as to updates for pretty much all the programs you have. However, I've noticed that whereas most people have Java and Flash installed on their computers, Secunia detects all versions of these programs on your computer and therefore ends up telling you that you need updates for them. Java and Flash, however, are two programs that always tell the user that there are updates available. So, you might want to disregard any warnings Secunia gives you with respect to these applications.
Secunia's scanning utility is located at:
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/