Ohio University

Security vulnerability highlights impotance of updating Java

Monday, January 14, 2013
Sean O'Malley  

Ongoing vulnerabilities in Java have prompted security agencies including the Office of Homeland Security to recommend that users disable the popular web browser plug-in on their computers.

According to Matthew Dalton, OIT's Director of Information Security, this may not be practical for OHIO computer users. A number of university services, including Blackboard, require Java to function properly.

"If you don't need Java, then by all means turn it off," Dalton says. "If you need Java for something like Blackboard, then consider only enabling it in the browser you use to access that service, and make doubly sure you keep it up to date."

Oracle has released a patch that addresses current security vulnerabilities.

Useful tools

• Java Tester - shows at a glance whether or not you have Java installed/enabled
• Oracle's Java Downloads page - get the latest version of Java for your operating system

Instructions from Sophos on how to disable Java:

• Internet Explorer
• Firefox
• Chrome
• Safari
• Opera