Security Researcher Mila Parkour has discovered a new zero-day exploit affecting Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat.

In her blog she posted some information about the file, which was sent as an email attachment.

Adobe has published a security bulletin for CVE-2010-2883 but hasn’t released a fix yet.

We verified the exploit on a fresh Windows 7 machine with the latest version of Adobe Reader. Upon opening the PDF document, a malicious file is downloaded.

We recommend users to be extremely careful when opening up email attachments as well as keeping their AV up-to-date with real time protection enabled.

Victoria, B.C. Feb. 5, 2010 – An unsettling study out of the UK has revealed that one in four children are being exposed to pornography, one in 20 to webcam contact with strangers, and one in 10 to cyberbullying. Perhaps even more surprising is that over 60 percent of surveyed children report lying to their parents about their online actions, and over 50 percent actively hide traces of their browsing history.

The report, conducted by UK broadband provider TalkTalk, underscores the dramatic discrepancy between the activities of children online and their parents and caregivers’ perception of it. Even parents who try to keep an eye on their children’s surfing might be thwarted by advanced in browser technology.

“Not only can children manually delete their browsing history, but browsers are being built with zero-history modes,” explained Robin Wark, father of two and the author of ParetoLogic’s PGsurfer Block Watch child safety blog. Internet Explorer 8’s InPrivate mode and Chrome’s Incognito mode automatically block any cookies and history, along with the ability for parents to keep an eye on their children’s actions.

ParetoLogic, developers of security and utility software, have created a free parental controls program to help remedy this situation. Their PGsurfer software, released in 2007, allows parents to block an extensive catalogue of ‘blacklisted’ sites, as well as maintain a constant monitor on their child’s actions.

Wark confirmed that “with PGsurfer, deleted histories and hidden browsing modes do not stop a parent from watching over and protecting their children. The software still blocks inappropriate sites, and still records the child’s web history.”

Victoria, B.C. Jan. 28, 2010 – While planning and strategizing for the upcoming year, ParetoLogic recently had cause to look back and celebrate their 2009 accomplishments. The security and utility software vendor ranked on the VIATeC 25, which features the Victoria technology companies with the highest revenue last year. Amidst the economic troubles of the past year, ParetoLogic not only remained buoyant, but showed dramatic gains for another successive year.

The Victoria Advanced Technology Council, who compiled the list, is dedicated to the expansion and development of the technology industry in Greater Victoria. Dan Gunn, Executive Director of VIATeC, said in an official press release that “These results further demonstrate that our sector has come of age and is firmly established as one of the lynch pins of our local economic future.”

ParetoLogic’s presence on the VIATeC 25 follows a particularly fruitful year for the software developers. Their latest release, FileCure, cracked a long dormant niche in the home software market by offering users an easy way to identify unknown files and quickly open them. ParetoLogic’s more established programs, XoftSpySE Anti-Spyware 7.0 and DriverCure, both received a substantial upgrade in appearance and performance, and numerous other updates were made to their software lineup.

Elton Pereira, ParetoLogic’s CEO, President, and co-founder, said of the VIATeC ranking that “ParetoLogic’s success is a primary result of our global sales expansion which includes millions of satisfied customers. However, we are at heart a Victoria based company, and we are grateful for this recognition.”

Victoria, B.C. December 16 – Getting an early start on Christmas charity, the technical support team from ParetoLogic have donated software to the Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities (CCD). Founded in 1986, CCD provides care and support for abandoned children with disabilities in Thailand. In an effort to teach children vital technology skills, CCD has a network of PCs, continually in need of repair and upkeep.

“This should keep their PCs running in top shape” said Tony Rodrigues, ParetoLogic’s Director of Customer Support. The ParetoLogic support team donated Unlimited Site Licenses of RegCure registry cleaner and XoftSpySE Anti-Spyware 7.0, valid for every computer onsite. RegCure offers the ability to repair the Windows registry to improve performance and stop errors, while XoftSpySE provides fast and powerful protection against spyware, Trojans, and other malware.

CCD staff and volunteers use computers to coordinate all aspects of the charity’s operations. Not only that, but the children at CCD practice new skills on the PCs, to help them learn and develop their communications skills. “A slow or infected computer is not fun to learn or work on, and this will make things much easier,” said Rodrigues.

“We are very grateful for ParetoLogic’s generous donation,” said Mike Blackburn, CCD’s volunteer IT Manager. “Provision of software like this ensures that our systems run smoothly, and also allows us to channel a higher proportion of donated funds towards the care of the children themselves.”

The Christian Care Foundation accepts donations on their website, www.ccdthailand.org

About the Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities

The Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities (CCD) provides help to some of the many thousands of children in Thailand who have been abandoned or given into government care by families unable to support them.

About ParetoLogic, Inc.

In 2004 four brothers recognized that modern computer users need not rely on computer repair technicians to maintain their own PC’s. Knowing that sophisticated technology married with a truly user-friendly interface would empower people to secure and optimize their own computers, the brothers researched the marketplace to define and develop the software products that would most benefit today’s computer user.

ParetoLogic now employs 125 professionals to help them research, develop, and market software applications that will enable people to secure and enhance their computing experience. Available in eight languages in 192 countries around the world, ParetoLogic has established partnerships on a global scale to ensure that its products are available to all computer users, regardless of location, language, or computing experience.

Attention to the needs of the consumer coupled with a commitment to delivering exceptional software applications and resource-rich websites guarantee that our products will exceed your expectations.

ParetoLogic’s XoftSpySE Anti-Spyware 7.0, the next generation of security software, is now certified to be Compatible with Windows 7.

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 20, 2009 – XoftSpySE Anti-spyware 7.0, which saw significant upgrades earlier this season, has been tested to meet all of the technical requirements to be compatible with Windows® 7. The security software, which emphasizes powerful performance, ease of use, and sophisticated technology to find and remove malware, is supported with both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the new operating system.

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