A new zero-day vulnerability in Java has been discovered and exploits are being found in the wild. The flaw affects all versions of Oracle's Java 7 (version 1.7) on all supported platforms. No patch is available at this time. Java 6 and earlier are currently unaffected.
In order for this vulnerability to be exploited, you have to visit a web page or follow a link to an infected site. If you get hit with this, the software can do anything with your computer that you can. Rapid7, a security research company, has released an online tool to test if your machine is exploitable through Java. To test your machine with this tool, go to http://www.isjavaexploitable.com/.
A copy of this message will be posted to TechWeb (www.bu.edu/tech) for reference. Check there for further updates and information regarding this issue.
Recommendations:
· If you are not using any programs that require Java, remove it from your system altogether. Java is one of the most heavily exploited platforms in the world today due to its almost ubiquitous presence.
· If you have to have Java for a specific program, but don’t need it for the web pages you visit, disable Java for universal use on your browsers. (Links for how to do this are below.) It is safest to allow use of Java browser plug-ins on a case-by-case basis when prompted for permission by trusted programs.
· If you can't do that, at least confine your browsing to regular commercial sites which, while not immune from being infected, are typically more carefully maintained and monitored and represent a lower risk. This is not a reliable security approach, but it is better than nothing.
How to disable Java:
...in Safari: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5241
...in IE: http://kb.iu.edu/data/ahqx.html
(For Firefox on Mac OS X, it is like Windows XP (Tools > Add-ons))
...in Chrome: While in Chrome, enter this URL: chrome://plugins/ then click "Disable" under Java.
For more information:
