Sunday, September 1, 2013

Outdated Java versions blocked by Apple


Oracle Java is notorious for its security issues. Following yet another 0-day exploit against the Java web browser plugin, Apple has decided to block all outdated Java versions on Mac OS X.

top java plugin security block
One of the most common ways to get infected by viruses, trojans and malwares is through various browser plugins and/or addons. In particular, the Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Flash and Oracle Java have been some of the worst browser plugins to have in terms of security. 

Recently, yet another critical security exploit was discovered and published for the Oracle Java plugin for web browsers which has caused Apple to take immediate action by blocking the use of outdated Java versions on Mac OS X computers.


Currently, users of Java 6 must run a version newer than point update 51 while users of Java 7 must run a version newer than point update 25. Users who have older versions installed are recommended to update their Java versions either through Apple Update or Oracle to re-enable Java support.

As always, for those that are especially concerned about security, turning off Java altogether in the web browser is recommended unless specific needs exist for Java. Note that the exploits of various plugins, bypasses any secure password that the user may have and therefore make them particularly dangerous.


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