Java has been facing an increasing number of security problems in recent years. One security hole discovered last week allowed hackers to install dangerous rootkits onto a user’s computer. Although that problem has since been patched by Oracle, some are calling it ‘the finger in the dam’ when it comes to Java problems.
In other words, Java might be such a fundamentally unsecure platform that it should no longer be used unless PC users want to infect their computers with the most dangerous viruses on the market today. While security problems might be patched within days after they appear, that doesn’t fix viruses that have already been installed onto user’s computers during that time.
Basically, Java allows for the remote execution of scripts over a web browser. Although this adds cool functionality and usability to plenty of harmless websites, it also opens the door for hackers to execute more nefarious applications. Using Java, hackers can exploit security holes to install dangerous programs on a user’s PC, for example.

As a result of these problems – and the sheer number of flaws that have been discovered in Java in recent years – many PC security experts are recommending that users shut off Java completely. According to Websense, Java is the “no. 1 vector of attack for exploit attacks…mass attacks are most of the time going to use Java vulnerabilities to dry and drop malware on client machines.”
As a result, many business networks are disabling Java across corporate networks. Meanwhile, individual PC users are installing browser plugins like NoScript that prevent websites from automatically opening Java scripts on a computer. NoScript forces users to automatically allow or deny each and every Java script that their computer encounters.
To read an in-depth explanation of this issue – and to find out what businesses and consumers are doing to safeguard their systems – click here to read the full TechNewsWorld article.