Category: Geeks r Us
Has anyone heard about warnings to disable Java on your computer? Apparently hackers have figured out how to exploit Java to install malicious software enabling them to steal identities and infect computers with dangerous viruses. It is recommended that people disable Java in web browsers.
Has anyone else heard about this? I'm wondering how to even disable Java and what affect that would have on my computer when I'm on the internet.
It is recommended that people
Java, like any other programming language, can be used for good purposes as well as bad ones. I use java to program on a day-to-day basis myself. Java also has a powerful web-based component, which needs to be watched. JAVA is used by websites that may wish to run client-side programs, such as activities to display multimedia as well as others. Disabling java is most likely a prudent step in browsing security. It can most likely be found in the security settings for your chosen software. If a site you trust uses java, you would simply re-enable it for that site. I do not know how this is dealt with on many browsers, but you may find that Java is turned off too much. Hackers can use lots of ways of infecting your computer. Java is one way, but there are others. You cannot be completely protected.
I've heard and i haven't turned off my java.
you'd have to visit a malicious site to have this happen to you, as i understand it.
The thing is, how do you know if a site you visit has been compromised by hackers. If Java itself is being hacked, any site you visit can be infected.
I just got hacked for precisely this same reason. I visited a seemingly innoscent site just to research some trivial information for an article I was writing. It compromised my win32 file--not sure if that's the proper name of it but the techies know what I'm talking about I'm sure. (I'm not a techie, this is just what i've been told about my issue). Anyway, a piece of malicious software was forcefully installed on my computer which posed as a windows firewall. Of course, just the name of it set alarm bells off in my head and I quickly backed up everything important on my computer and handed it off to my wonderful, techie fiance who is a godsend in these circumstances. He had to reinstall windows because it wasn't starting up at all after a while, not even when he used the restore option to bring it back to a seemingly safe point. We suspect this was caused by the java scripts on that site because when the malicious program was installed, some message about java came up briefly.
Now, keep in mind, this isnt' the first computer that's crashed in my presence. I do admit I'm infamous for making window's go haywire; I've crashed about ten computers to the point of a necessary reinstall since the age of fourteen. But back then, I can't deny that I was up to no good where internet browsing and my own personal laptop were concerned. There you go--further proof that a broke teenage girl with a furious passion for discovering and covetting new music, and a laptop of her very own spell disaster.
But with age comes wisdom and..Inevitably, some semblence of innoscence. lol.
So, long rambling story short, I crashed yet another computer recently just by going to a site which was not suspicious whatsoever. And my techie knight in shining armor tells me it had to do with java. So I felt compelled to post this here, and feel free to blame the writer in me for the lengthy and mildly entertaining account of the ordeal.
On that note, I'm off to get my internet fix---I've been away from the world wide web for three days and I've started experiencing withdrawal symptoms. :)
Was your java up to date?
The warning was actually issued by the US Government so it seems real and they say even if you have the latest version there will not be a security patch ready until later in the year. They recommend disabling or uninstalling jave completely.
Can someone explain how to disable it? I don't want to uninstall it but would like to disable it. Keep in mind I am not a techy, so use small, simple words. LOL
Jeesh, never mind. I looked it up on google, and it sounds really complicated. It might be better to just uninstall it, except I have no idea how that would affect my computer or ability to do things on the web.
Some sites use Java so if you are afraid of it effecting you, i'd just make it so the site that need it are the ones that get to use it.
Here are my thoughts on Java.
It is asone user posted like anything else, and and sometimes is exploited. Keeping Java up to date is your best protection if you wish to run it on your computer.
Adobe, IE, Fire Fox, you name it from time to time is exploited, even Windows.
You can simply remove Java completely and not have any adverse effects. If a website requires Java to run it will say so, but you can use Silver Light or Flash player just as well.
I personally do not run Java on one computer, but on the other I have it, and I keep it updated and I don't have any issues with it.
It is an add on for web browsers, and depending on the one you use you disable it, and if you want I'll post an easy way to do it in Fire Fox and IE.
Now, think about this. If you disable it it doesn't work technically, right, so if you remove it, you've created the same effect, it simply doesn't work.
If removing it is easy for you, and you are afraid to keep it remove it.
Last, keeping your Anti virus program, and any other program on your computer updated and not believing every notice you see that pops up on your screen, such as "you're system's been infected, and it is the Win 32," or whatever is your gbest way.
Trust your anti virus program, and your good computing habits first. If you truly have a problem you'll learn this in short order, but if you click on the notice, or install the fix, you'll grab the problem and put it on your computer, and that is when you'll reinstall your OS, because you've installed the exact thing you were avoiding, and your computer is now held ransum until you pay, or get help
Keep it! I'll bet it isn't even abled anyway, because it is something you have to do after installing it. .
It is best not to attempt to unstall all java programs. Instead, you should find where it hooks into your browser and disable it there. So far, I have not encountered a single site that requires java that can't be made to work another way. Note that something called javaScript is not related to Java, and thus after you disable JAVA in your browser, you may still hear about javaScript.
To backup my words I removed it from my second computer. No problems at all. Its easy enough to disable, providing it is even abled.
Go to the website and read about it.
www.java.com. I do agree with the poster above that leaving it won't hurt either.
Smile.
I believe both the up-to-date versions of Firefox and Chrome have disabled Java for you. Java programs that don't contact the internet, such as games installed on computer computer, are fine. Javascript is also fine.