Post by plutronus on Jan 11, 2013 16:59:08 GMT -6
All,
From ECN Mag News...
"U.S. DHS Issues Warning on Java SW Usage
Fri, 01/11/2013 - 12:17pm
Jim Finkle, Rueters
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security urged computer users to disable Java software, & amplifying security experts' prior warnings to hundreds of millions of consumers and businesses that use it to surf the Web.
Maliscious "hackers" have figured out how to exploit Java to install malicious software enabling them to commit crimes ranging from identity theft to making an infected computer part of an ad-hoc network of computers that can be used to attack websites.
"We are currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem," the Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team said in a posting on its website late on Thursday.
"This and previous Java vulnerabilities have been widely targeted by attackers, and new Java vulnerabilities are likely to be discovered," the agency said. "To defend against this and future Java vulnerabilities, disable Java in Web browsers."
Oracle, original developer of JAVA declined to comment on the warning on Friday. Microsoft extended the JAVA language in the mid 1990s, enabling JAVA the ability to save files on the user's computer.
Java is a computer language that enables programmers to write software utilizing just one set of code that will run on virtually any type of computer, including those that run Microsoft Corp's Windows, Apple Inc's OS X and Linux, an operating system widely employed by corporations.
Computer users access Java programs through modules, or plug-ins, that run Java software on top of browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox.
The U.S. government's warning on Java came after security experts warned earlier on Thursday of the newly discovered flaw.
It is relatively rare for government agencies to advise computer users to completely disable software due to a security bug, particularly in the case of widely used programs such as Java. They typically recommend taking steps to mitigate the risk of attack while manufacturers prepare an update, or hold off on publicizing the problem until an update is prepared.
In September, the German government advised the public to temporarily stop using Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser to give it time to patch a security vulnerability that opened it to attacks.
The Department of Homeland Security said attackers could trick targets into visiting malicious websites that would infect their PCs with software capable of exploiting the bug in Java.
It said an attacker could also infect a legitimate website by uploading malicious software that would infect machines of computer users who trust that site because they have previously visited it without experiencing any problems.
They said developers of several popular too...."
For the remainder of the article please visit: www.ecnmag.com/news/2013/01/us-warns-java-software-security-concerns-escalate