Staying Secure with Adobe

When it comes to computers and the internet, security is always of some concern. As it should be. With identity theft seeming to be running rampant, it is smart to be aware of possible security issues and address them before you become a victim. And in my opinion, I think it is best to err on the side of caution and over protect because the extra effort you take now will keep you safe in the long run.

Adobe is well aware of the security challenges and risks out there and so they have security measures built into many of their software programs. Anyone who spends some time on the computer is familiar with Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader. The "protected mode" in Adobe Reader limits the access to your computer that a PDF file has, safeguarding you from malicious code, malware, etc. In Adobe Acrobat there is a "protected view" which opens a PDF document in a read-only, sandboxed environment until you indicate that it is safe. This can be set as a default so that all PDF files are opened this way for extra security. You can also use signature validation to help keep your PDF documents secure.

Adobe Flash Player is something that is used all over the Internet. If you are a web junkie like myself, you probably visit at least a dozen sites a day that are using Flash. Did you know that flash cookies, or local shared objects, are stored on your computer by Flash? These are often used to store user preferences but there are privacy concerns surrounding them. Once again Adobe lets you manage your settings by giving you the ability to disable this.

Computer and internet security issues are real so its important that you take measures to protect yourself and your information. As someone who uses quite a few Adobe products, I am glad to know that there are features already there to help protect me.