Internet security experts have found a bug in Adobe Creative Cloud that can delete important files without users' permission.
Adobe Creative Cloud gives users access to a number of software developed by Adobe for video editing, photography, graphic design, web development and cloud services. The service is available across a number of platforms, but the latest bug is said to affect Mac users.
According to Backblaze, an online backup tool that allows Mac OS X and Windows users to back up their data to an offsite data center, the bug deletes files whenever a Mac user logs in to the service and installs an update.
"We've encountered an issue on the Mac where Adobe Creative Cloud (version 3.5.0.206) appears to be removing the contents of the first hidden folder at the root of the drive, in alphabetic order. By happenstance, the first hidden folder on most Backblaze customer's internal drive is the .bzvol folder," says Backblaze.
Officials at Backblaze suggest that the bug deletes a user's content in an alphabetical order. The service has been hit hard as the .bzvol file is a hidden root folder and normally appears at the top of the list.
"This caused a lot of our customers to freak out," says Yev Pusin, marketing manager at Backblaze. "The reason we saw a huge uptick from our customers is because Backblaze's .bzvol is higher up the alphabet. We tested it again by creating a hidden file with an '.a' name, and the files inside were removed as well."
While Backblaze suggests that the bug deletes hidden files, a user claims that the bug also deletes visible folders.
"CC 3.5.0.206 also deletes visible folders which have spaces at the start of their names," complained a user.
Adobe Systems is aware of the issue and has now temporarily stopped the distribution of updates to its Creative Cloud graphics service. An Adobe Systems' spokesperson has also issued a statement confirming that they are investigating the bug and trying to find a fix.
"We have removed the update from distribution, and are in the process of deploying a new update which addresses the issue. When prompted for the update, Creative Cloud members should install it as normal," says Adobe.
Customers will be waiting for a fix as soon as possible because the bug can potentially delete important files that might not ever be retrieved.
Backblaze has also published a number of videos that show the bug in action. Check out one of the videos to learn more.
