Hackers Using Java: Homeland Security Issues Warning

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is urging everyone to disable Oracle Corp’s Java software as computer hackers have figured out how to exploit the software to install malicious items 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.

Read the Oracle Java 7 Security Advisory:

The CERT Program has released Vulnerability Note VU#625617 to address a vulnerability in Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 7 and earlier that is currently being exploited in the wild. This vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.

US-CERT encourages users and administrators to review CERT Vulnerability Note VU#625617 and US-CERT Alert TA13-010A. Due to the number and severity of this and prior Java vulnerabilities, it is recommended that Java be disabled temporarily in web browsers as described in the “Solution” section of the US-CERT Alert and in the Oracle Technical Note “Setting the Security Level of the Java Client.”

Steps: How To Disable Java on PC, Mac – Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera

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 ones that use Microsoft Corp’s Windows, Apple Inc’s OS X and Linux, an operating system widely employed by corporations.