Java Plug-in Security threat and what it means for BlueSky users

Java has released its latest version of it software, but isn't having the results they were hoping for. The release of Java 7 is making some web browsers more vulnerable to security risks and virus attacks. The program is used by millions of both PC and Mac users, and is also used on devices like cars, blu-ray players and mobile phones.

Will this affect me as a BlueSky User?

Luckily, this will NOT affect our BlueSky users as we do not use the plug-in.

What is being done to fix this issue?

According to Zack Whittaker's blog on ZDNet, Apple has already acted fast to protect its users,

"Although Apple has been traditionally slow to release security updates (apart from those that block iPhone jailbreaks), the company moved relatively quickly last week to block the Java Applet Plugin via OS X's XProtect feature. Java Applet Plugin versions prior to 1.7.10.19 (the current version is 1.7.10.18) were disabled by an XProtect update delivered to Macs last Friday. XProtect is primarily intended to block downloads containing well-known Mac malware (such as Flashback), but it also includes a mechanism for disabling browser plugins.OS X automatically updates the XProtect definitions daily. They are stored within /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle, in files named XProtect.meta.plist and XProtect.plist."

The threat of version 7 has reached the attention to the United States government. It is rare of the government to announce to users of the threats and to disable the software. Homeland Security issued a warning on Friday that internet users should take the proper precautions and disable the Java plug-in as soon as possible to prevent attacks by hackers and malware.

Oracle, the creater of the Java software, has also released their security statement earlier this week.

How do I remove the plug-in?

PC/Windows

OS X

Safari

Chrome

FireFox