Well, news just came out by
the US Dept of Homeland Security warning about serious Java
exploits.
They recommend disabling Java, which
in my opinion is overkill, since many of us need Java when we visit
banks, gaming sites, etc. so I did some research and determined the
following is the best solution.
In the Windows Control Panel, there is
a Java icon like below. In Apple computers there is
a different looking coffee cup icon.
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Windows |
Mac
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(If you do not see it, you do not have
Java installed and most likely you do not need it.)
To find the
Java Control Panel on Mac OS X (10.7.3 and above), under
System Preferences click on the Java
icon to access the Java Control Panel. In earlier versions of Mac OS it
is in Utilities, Java Preferences.
Click on the icon to open the
application.
Go to the Security tab in Windows,
click on the slider and drag it to
Custom, then click on the Setting box.
(If you do not see the Security tab, see below
instructions to update to Java 7 Version
11 or newer. If you still don't see it, uninstall all Java software,
reboot and reinstall it.
Inside Settings, make sure you have
these selections checked as shown.
Then click OK to close the
application.
Now when you visit a web site
using Internet Explorer
(Other browsers will have different ways of
allowing you to use Java), you will be prompted with the below
Security Warning to allow Java to run.
If you are at a new or unfamiliar
site, use discretion on whether or not to allow Java to run.
If it is a site you visit all the time
and trust, click on the box “Do not show this again for this app”
Then click Run.
You will now be protected from Java
drive-by downloads.
Macs have similar but different
controls to enhance your Java security.
Java Update
The above Security settings are only
available in the latest versions of Java. Please ensure you have the
latest version, which is Java 7 Update 11 or newer.
Click on the About button to see what version you have.
If you do not have the Java 7 Update 11 or newer, click on this link to
download and install it.
http://www.java.com/en/
Be careful that they don’t try to
sneak some other application, like a toolbar, onto your computer during
the installation process.
