Adobe will release a fix for a new critical bug in Flash Player on Friday for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris, while Google Chrome users will be protected by Thursday through the browser's auto-update feature, Adobe said today.

"As part of our collaboration with Google, Google receives updated builds of Flash Player for integration and testing. Once testing is completed for Google Chrome, the release is pushed via the Chrome auto-update mechanism," Adobe said in a statement.

"Adobe is testing the fix across all supported configurations of Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Solaris and Android (more than 60 platforms/configurations altogether) to ensure the fix works across all supported configurations," the statement said. "Typically, this process takes slightly longer and, in this case, is expected to complete on April 15 for Flash Player for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris."

Meanwhile, an update for Adobe Acrobat X and earlier for Windows and Macintosh, Adobe Reader X for Macintosh and Adobe Reader 9.4.3 and earlier for Windows and Macintosh will be available no later than the week of April 25, the company said in a security advisory.

Adobe warned on Monday that attackers were exploiting the hole to take control of Windows computers by sending e-mails with malicious Flash files embedded in Microsoft Word attachments. The company said it was not aware of any attacks via PDF (portable document format) files targeting Reader and Acrobat.

Because Adobe Reader X Protected Mode prevents such exploits from executing the company will address the hole in that software in its next quarterly security update for Reader, scheduled for June 14.

Originally posted at InSecurity Complex

Apple is the latest in a series of Web browser makers to add a new privacy feature that keeps online advertising networks and other tracking tools from monitoring user activity.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the latest developer preview of Apple's Mac OS X 10.7, codenamed "Lion," sports a version of Safari with a do-not-track feature built in.

Do-not-track is technology that allows users to opt out of being tracked by third parties in a similar fashion to the do-not-call lists for telephones. The movement accelerated following a report released last December by The Federal Trade Commission, urging technology makers to implement the technology into their products to protect consumer privacy. While legislation to put some teeth on enforcing it has stalled, browser makers like Mozilla and Microsoft have released do-not-track tools in the latest versions of their browsers.

Meanwhile, Google, which makes the Chrome browser, released a do-not-track tool in January that users are required to download and install as an add-on.

Lion is currently on its second developer preview and requires that developers and users who are testing the software stay tight-lipped under a non-disclosure agreement. Apple is expected to unveil a price, release date, and more details about the software at its Worldwide Developers Conference in early June.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the do-not-track feature would make it to the current Mac OS X, or if it would be available to Safari users on Microsoft's Windows platform.

Originally posted at Apple Talk