Adobe Systems has warned its users that hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in its Flash multimedia software platform in web browsers.
According to a news report from Reuters, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab discovered the issue after a group it was tracking, BlackOasis, used it to plant malicious software on computers before connecting them back to servers in Switzerland, Bulgaria and the Netherlands.
Kaspersky revealed that the malware, known as FinSpy or FinFisher, is a product usually sold to nation states and law enforcement agencies for surveillance. It appears that the hackers are targeting Middle Eastern politicians and United Nations officials in the region, opposition bloggers and activists, and regional news correspondents.
So far, cyberattack victims have been found in Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Iran, Africa and the Middle East.
Adobe released a Flash security update to fix the problem, which affected Google’s Chrome and Microsoft’s Edge and Internet Explorer browsers, as well as desktop versions. It urged its users to fix the problem as soon as possible.
In July, the company announced it would retire its technology that is used to power most of the media content found online by the end of 2020.
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