Everyone who works with a Windows-based PC knows (or should know) about “Patch Tuesday.” Patch Tuesday is the second-Tuesday-of-the-month Microsoft “event” that features security, OS and driver updates to the Windows operating system. Patch Tuesday represents Microsoft’s efforts to cut down on the number of automatic updates users must endure when they turn on their computers. Serious … and I mean really serious… fixes are distributed when they’re available and are rarely, if ever, held for Patch Tuesday.

Will Adobe Sign Up For Patch Tuesday?

Patch Tuesday releases include security updates, driver updates and patches to the operating system that have not been deemed a flat-out, “all-hands-on-deck” emergency. The system has worked relatively well since it was introduced by Microsoft in 2003. Now Adobe says that it may move to monthly product and security updates.

Several prominent attacks against Windows Vista and Windows 7 have been launched using Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader, and users and vendors alike are pressuring Adobe to pay more attention to product vulnerabilities and to address potential exploits faster. Currently, Adobe issues product updates once per quarter. This leaves malware designers significant time to discover and develop attacks using the company’s products.

Another problem for Windows users is that Windows Update does not automatically download and install Adobe product updates. Instead, Windows Update handles only new third-party driver releases. Adobe says it plans to adopt Microsoft’s Security Center Update Publisher (SCUP) by the end of 2010. This move will enable Adobe to distribute product updates to Windows users more quickly and effectively.

Currently, Adobe doesn’t post its most recent product updates on the company’s Web site. Instead, users download an update, then use the Adobe Updater tool to patch the version of the software they’ve just downloaded. One drawback of this approach is that it relies on users to update the product. If users don’t seek out the updates, or don’t allow automatic updates on their computers, the unpatched, out-of-date product(s) will remain.

Since Adobe products are becoming the vector of choice for certain types of attacks against Windows, expect Microsoft to notch up the pressure on Adobe to move to a more regular system of patching, adopt more efficient methods of updating products, and to design products with tighter security controls in mind.

Photo Credit: emma.kate, via Flickr