Adobe has issued a software update to fix at least eight security flaws in its Acrobat and Adobe Reader applications, that if left unpatched could be used by attackers to take control of vulnerable systems, the company said. The vulnerabilities affect Acrobat and Reader versions 8.1.2 and earlier. Adobe characterizes this as a “critical” update — its most serious rating — meaning the flaws could let an attacker run and install malicious software on a victim’s computer without the victim’s knowledge. Updates are available for Reader versions on Microsoft Windows, Linux/Solaris and Mac OS X. The software maker says users with Adobe Reader 8.0 through 8.1.2, who can’t update to Adobe Reader 9, should update to Adobe Reader 8.1.3, and that the latest full version of both products, Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 9, are not vulnerable to these issues. Links to updates for different versions of Acrobat are available