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Time to disable Java from your browser?

After the US CERT, an organization belong to the American government, published multiple security

warnings since the beginning of the year, it’s probably a good advice to disable the functionality of

Java in your browser, if you haven’t done so already.

Multiple security holes have been discovered and a fixed in the past, but it seems that the latest Java

security problem came to new levels. As a result of the vulnerability breach in Java security, which can

be exploited by potential attackers to run malicious code on the user’s computer, Oracle released a fix

patch in lightning speed, but some companies were not waiting for the repair of Oracle. Apple for

example added the latest versions of Java to its blacklist, as well as decided to remove the Java plugin

from its latest browsers.

Mozilla, however, decided to allow the user to run Java applets using the Click-To-Play Firefox

browser, an option that was previously available only for older versions of Java. However, not clear

why Google and Microsoft still have not taken any steps to protect their users security holes, but it is

likely that these measures will come eventually.

Do not be confused, the Java security holes come as a result of attacks on its plugin in the browser and

there is no connection between Java to JavaScript language based on it. Although you can simply

remove Java from your computer and remove the problem from its root, you can just disable the plugin

in all browsers running on your computer to protect yourself from the problem, and still play

Minecraft…

So how to disable Java?

In Chrome - write in the address bar the following command: chrome://plugins. Chrome Extensions tab

will rise. Find the Java and choose Disable to disable the plugin. Then restart your browser.

Safari - Select 'Safari' from the top menu and then ‘Preferences’. Select the ‘Security’ on the top line

of the new window and remove the check box called ‘Enable Java’, if it is selected. Restart the

browser.

Internet Explorer – On the top menu select ‘Tools’ then ‘Extensions Management’. On the bottom

where it says ‘Show’ choose ‘All Extensions’ the disable all ‘Oracle America, Inc.’ options. Restart the

browser.

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Firefox - Go to the ‘Tools’ menu and select ‘Extensions’. Then choose ‘Plug Ins’. Scroll through the list

of plugins until you find an item that begins with ‘Java TM’ and disable it. Restart the browser.

About TotalDefense:

Total Defense(@Total_Defense) is a global leader in malware detection and anti-crimeware solutions. We offer a broad portfolio of leading security products for the consumer market used by over four million consumers worldwide. Our solutions also include the industry’s first complete cloud security platform, providing fully integrated endpoint, web and email security through a single Web-based management console with a single set of enforceable security policies

Total Defense is a former business of CA Technologies, one of the largest software companies in the world, and has operations in New York, California, Europe, Israel and Asia.

Visit http://www.totaldefense.com/ for web, cloud & mobile security solutions for home users and businesses.