Security threat for Adobe Acrobat Reader, Flash

Adobe posted a security warning for anyone using Adobe on their computer.

Hackers can exploit a flaw in the latest versions of the Flash video player and Acrobat Reader.
Adobe posted a warning last week of what they call a "critical vunerability" that could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of your computer.

That's for anyone using the Flash Player (v9.0.159.0 and v10.0.22.87) for Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems and Adobe Reader and Acrobat v9.1.2 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX.

This means playing flash videos or opening up a PDF file that's corrupted could put your computer at risk.

Adobe says it's working on a patch that should be available Thursday, July 30th for the Flash player and Friday, July 31st for Adobe Reader.

In the meantime, make sure your antivirus software is up to date. Don't click on videos or pdf files that come from an untrusted site.

Check Adobe's security bulletins to download the patch when it's available.

Adobe Product Security Incident Response Team blog

And that's the way it is...

The passing of CBS anchorman and journalist Walter Cronkite got me to thinking--thinking about my profession and the enduring legacy this remarkable man left.

I got the chance to hear Cronkite speak while I was in college. While I really don't remember much of what he said, I do remember thinking that his wit and mind was so sharp I could hardly believe I was listening to a man in his late 80s. I also remember thinking, "I wish this man was my grandpa." I could listen to Mr. Cronkite tell stories for hours on end. After all, he was the master storyteller wasn't he?

I just watched the special CBS aired remembering Cronkite. It touched on his most talked about moments in history...the first to break the news of President Kennedy's death, man on the moon, Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, getting the President of Egypt and the Prime Minister of Israel to meet, and of course his comments that turned the tide of the Vietnam War. His presence through these events made Cronkite "the most trusted man in America."

I'm proud to share my Missouri roots with this man, but honored to even attempt to follow in his footsteps as a journalist. No one will ever be able to fill his shoes or even lace a shoelace, for he was a giant.

In an interview for the Newseum, Cronkite was asked about his greatest regret. Besides not expanding the 30 minute CBS Evening News to an hour during primetime, he said, "What do I regret? Well, I regret that in our attempt to establish some standards, we didn't make them stick. We couldn't find a way to pass them on to another generation."

Well, Mr. Cronkite you did set a standard. You set a standard in the way you approached news every day--to get the story, "fast, accurate, and unbiased." And if needed, tell the people what they need to hear, not necessarily what they want to hear.

To learn more about Walter Cronkite, check out the links below courtesy SPJ.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications: Cronkite's Bio
YouTube: Walter Cronkite Interviews and Reports
Walter Cronkite's NPR Essays
Arizona State University: Resources for Covering CronkiteASU's journalism school is named for Cronkite. Site features video clips, photo galleries and contact numbers for sources.
CBS News: Walter Cronkite's DeathIncludes video, photo essays and more.
Google News: Walter Cronkite's Death
Blogs About Walter Cronkite's Death
Walter Cronkite Quotes
Poynter: Newspaper Front Pages of Cronkite's Death
Poynter: What Walter Cronkite Did for Journalism
Chicago Sun-Times: Robert Feder on Cronkite's Death

Celebrating Cronkite while igoring what he did

Photo Courtesy: CBS

Controlling your online life after death

I recently read about an interesting type service for techies or anyone really. Have you ever thought of what would happen to your online accounts if you die? Who would access them and how? There're a couple services called Legacy Locker and AssetLock that promise online life after death. Kinda weird? That's what I thought until I read a little more about it.

Users of Legacy Locker can set up who gets access to their information after they pass away, complete with "legacy letters" to loved ones.

According to an article on CNN.com..."If someone contacts Legacy Locker to report a client's death, the service will send the customer four e-mails in 48 hours. If there's no response, Legacy Locker will then contact the people the client listed as verifiers in the event of his or her death. Even then, the service would not release digital assets without examining a copy of the customer's death certificate, Toeman said."

While we're on the subject, Find A Grave lets users "find the graves of ancestors, create virtual memorials, add 'virtual flowers' and a note to a loved one's grave, etc."

I haven't signed up for the service, I can see how it would be beneficial to those wanting to share their online life with only certain people after they pass away.