Adobe has issued updates for its Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat tools, which are widely used for reading and sharing PDF files.

The patches address what Adobe calls “critical” vulnerabilities in both tools, which could cause the application to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.

Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader 9.2 and Acrobat 9.2 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX update to Adobe Reader 9.3 and Acrobat 9.3. Adobe recommends users of Acrobat 8.1.7 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Acrobat 8.2.

For Adobe Reader users on Windows and Macintosh who cannot update to Adobe Reader 9.3, Adobe has provided the Adobe Reader 8.2 update.

The updates apply to all platforms: Windows, Macintosh and UNIX.

They are available at http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-02.html