Adobe has released details of a security glitch in its popular Acrobat Reader software which could allow attackers to seize control of a user's PC. 

The notice on the company's website explains that the bug exists in versions 5.0.9 and 5.0.10 written specifically for Unix.

The weakness could be exploited by emails containing malicious PDF files.

The solution for Linux and Solaris is to update to Adobe Reader 7.0. The solution for IBM AIX and HP-UX platforms is to update to Adobe Reader 5.0.11.

The vulnerability was first discovered by security firm IDefence.

"Remote exploitation of a buffer overflow in Adobe Acrobat Reader for Unix could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code," said a spokesman for IDefence.

PDF is a widely used platform-independent file format which has full support on Unix and Linux.