New malware poses as Adobe updater

The latest type of malware disguises as an updater for Adobe Systems' products as well as other software, like Java, providing additional long-term risks for users, according to Nguyen Cong Cuong, an analyst with Bach Khoa Internetwork Security (BKIS), a Vietnamese security company.

Adobe's products appeared to be one of the most targeted by hackers due to their wide installation base.

BKIS presented screen shots of a variant of the malware that imitates Adobe Reader 9 and overwrites the AdobeUpdater.exe, which regularly checks in with Adobe to see if a new version of the software is available.

So, users can inadvertently install malware on computers if they open malicious e-mail attachments or visit Web sites that target specific software vulnerabilities. After this particular kind of malware gets onto a machine, it opens a DHCP client, a DNS client, a network share and a port in order to received commands, BKIS said.

However, malware that poses as an updater or installer for applications such as Adobe's Acrobat or Flash are nothing new, according to Rik Ferguson, senior security advisor for Trend Micro.

People, infected could be worse off even if the malware is removed, considers Ferguson . That means that users would need to manually download the software again, which they may be unlikely to do if they don't know the effect of the malware.