Clarification on Adobe Acrobat Reader on Public PCs Question

[Donna Schumann]

I've gotten several responses asking why we even need to lock down 
Acrobat Reader, so I am sending this clarification:

One of the reasons I'm asking about locking down Acrobat Reader is to 
find out if it is necessary. Basically, to find out if we are making a 
mountain out of a molehill. From the responses I've gotten so far, it 
looks like we may be overly worried.

We aren't sure if there are hidden vulnerabilities. At a quick glance, I 
think we would want some kind of security on the Print dialog box, 
especially the Network button. There are also features where the patron 
could enter his/her name and address -- I am guessing that Acrobat will 
hold onto this information, which could compromise patron 
confidentiality (even if the breach is self-inflicted). And some Help 
utilities open backdoors. Of course these are usually in Microsoft 
products, but after being burned by these loopholes in the past, we are 
hesitant.

Do you give users unrestricted access to Acrobat Reader? Is this a 
no-brainer?

Thanks!


Donna Schumann wrote:

> Currently, we let patrons use Adobe Acrobat Reader on public PCs running 
> from within Internet Explorer. In the past year, we have been getting 
> requests from patrons to run it as a stand-alone application so that 
> they can easily open PDF files from diskettes.
> 
> Do any of you let patrons use Acrobat Reader as an application? How do 
> you lock it down?
> 
> FYI, we currently use WinSelect to lock down IE and NTFS file 
> permissions and policies to lock down Office.
> 
> Thanks! Donna
> 
> 
> 


-- 
Donna Schumann, Computer Application Specialist
Timberland Regional Library, 415 Airdustrial Way SW, Olympia, WA 98501
Voice: 360-704-4542  FAX: 360-586-6838  Email:
schumann at timberland.lib.wa.us