Adobe to patch Illustrator, Photoshop, and Flash Pro CS5.x for free

A few days ago I blogged about Adobe Security Patches for May 8, 2012

"Adobe has only fixed the security holes in new versions, and you have to pay to upgrade."

Well, Adobe realized it had some egg on its face regarding this policy and has quickly changed its mind. It will be providing security patches at some unspecified date in the future.

Adobe about-face: Photoshop, Illustrator patches will be free | ZDNet

Facing widespread criticism for its decision to bundle critical security updates into paid upgrades for Photoshop and Illustrator, Adobe has changed course and will now backport the fixes to existing software versions.

The company’s about-face was included in an update to the security bulletin:

We are in the process of resolving the vulnerabilities addressed in these Security Bulletins in Adobe Illustrator CS5.x, Adobe Photoshop CS5.x (12.x) and Adobe Flash Professional CS5.x, and will update the respective Security Bulletins once the patches are available.

The company did not provide a timeline for when the backported patches will be available.

Adobe backs down, will patch old software for free

Faced with a backlash from angry customers, Adobe bowed to the pressure and backpedalled on its original decision, deciding to patch the eight vulnerabilities in question free of charge.

"We are in the process of resolving the vulnerabilities addressed in these security bulletins in Adobe Illustrator CS5.x, Adobe Photoshop CS5.x and Adobe Flash Professional CS5.x, and will update the respective security bulletins once the patches are available," they stated.

They did not say how long it will take for the patches to be issued.