Adobe has issued a new patch for certain versions of its Reader and Acrobat applications.

The company is recommending that users and administrators install the patches for systems running Acrobat and Reader 8.

The security update includes fixes for the 8.1.2 and earlier releases of Adobe Reader and Acrobat Standard, Professional and 3D.

The patch addresses eight different security flaws, some of which could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on the targeted machine. The update addresses flaws for the Mac and PC versions of Acrobat and Reader.

Among the flaws are input-validation errors, Java problems and vulnerabilities in the Download Manager component.

Adobe noted that none of the issues addressed in the patch exists in the latest version 9 of any of the products, so users can also secure the vulnerabilities by updating to the latest versions of both products.

Security firm Secunia rated the patch as 'highly critical', the fourth of its five alert levels. The US Computer Emergency Response Team advises users and administrators to install the Adobe patch as soon as possible.