Adobe Gone Rogue or Hacked?

[LSSu1]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, so am unsure if it's the right space to ask this question.

When I was accessing an unrelated website today, I happened to notice from the taskbar that another activity was in progress. Opening it showed that Adobe was unilaterally trying to open my previously downloaded files! I had not initiated any action to open any pdf files, so I quickly terminated the tab. Fortunately, the latest downloaded files had been renamed, so it couldn't find them.

Is it normal for Adobe to kick off such activities or has it been hacked? 

[Asheesh_Pandey]

@LSSu1 Not sure, I'm following. Is this related to some Adobe/CJ Analytics reports you download or something else. Would you be able to share more details? 

[LSSu1]

Hi Asheesh,

No, I was doing something else unrelated to Adobe i.e. visiting another website, when I noticed from the taskbar that there was some other activity in progress that I had not initiated. When I clicked on it, the Adobe page opened to show it was trying to open files I had downloaded from days prior.

I had not initiated nor opened the Adobe application. So I was surprised to see it running. Very much a mystery which makes me wonder if someone has hacked the application.

[Asheesh_Pandey]

I see... it is a valid concern. while it's unlikely that Adobe software itself has been hacked, the plausible, non-malicious reasons to my knowledge this behavior may occur are -

• Adobe apps (Acrobat Reader) often run background services that auto-launch or check file associations. If your system or browser tried to preview a PDF Adobe Reader might auto-launch to render it.
• Adobe Cloud may auto-fetch or pre-cache recently opened/downloaded files, especially if syncing across devices or accounts.

Lastly, a compromised browser extension or site could trigger file openings. Let me know if you are able to recreate or find a root cause.

[LSSu1]

Hi Asheesh,

Re the auto-launch aspect, my browser was not previewing any pdf files. I was just surfing a website.

I am also not using the sync functions as I prefer to keep my devices separately contained.

Furthermore, I do not have any browser extensions enabled.

Yes, I will update you if this re-occurs or if I discover the root cause.

Thank you for following through.