Security bulletin

Security update available for Adobe Download Manager

Release date: February 23, 2010

Last updated: February 25, 2010

Vulnerability identifier: APSB10-08

CVE number: CVE-2010-0189

Platform: Windows

Summary

A critical vulnerability has been identified in the Adobe Download Manager versions 1.6.2.60 and earlier on Windows. This vulnerability (CVE-2010-0189) could potentially allow an attacker to download and install unauthorized software onto a user's system.

Users, who have downloaded Adobe Reader for Windows from http://get.adobe.com/reader/ or Adobe Flash Player for Windows from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ prior to the release of this Security Bulletin on February 23, 2010, can verify they are not vulnerable to this Adobe Download Manager issue by following the instructions in the Solution section below.

Affected software versions

Adobe Download Manager versions 1.6.2.60 and earlier on Windows (prior to February 23, 2010)

Solution

Users, who have downloaded Adobe Reader for Windows from http://get.adobe.com/reader/ or Adobe Flash Player for Windows from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ prior to the release of this Security Bulletin on February 23, 2010, can verify they are not vulnerable to this Adobe Download Manager issue by following the instructions below:

Ensure that the C:\Program Files\NOS\ folder and its contents ("NOS files") are not present on your system. (If the folder is present, follow the steps below to remove).
Click "Start" > "Run" and type "services.msc". Ensure that "getPlus(R) Helper" is not present in the list of services.

If the NOS files are found, the Adobe Download Manager issue can be mitigated by:

Navigating to Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > Adobe Download Manager, and selecting Remove to remove the Adobe Download Manager from your system.

Deleting the C:\Program Files\NOS\ folder and its contents.

This issue is resolved as of Adobe Download Manager version 1.6.2.63, released February 23, 2010, and no action is required for future downloads of Adobe Reader from http://get.adobe.com/reader/ or Adobe Flash Player from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/.

Severity rating

Adobe categorizes this as a critical update. Users can remove potentially vulnerable installations of the Adobe Download Manager using the instructions in the Solution section above.

Details

The Adobe Download Manager is intended for one-time use. The Adobe Download Manager is designed to remove itself from the computer after use at the next computer restart. However, Adobe recommends users verify that a potentially vulnerable version of the Adobe Download Manager (versions 1.6.2.60 and earlier on Windows) is no longer installed on their machine using the instructions in the Solution section above.

Acknowledgments

Adobe would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for reporting the relevant issue (CVE-2010-0189) and for working with Adobe to help protect our customers:

Aviv Raff
Yorick Koster through iDefense's Vulnerability Contributor Program

Revisions

February 25, 2010 - Bulletin updated with version information, removed instructions for deleting service
February 23, 2010 - Bulletin first created