As I often say, “things are not as bad as you think – they are worse.”  Yesterday the U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team issued a warning telling people to disable Java software in their Web browsers due to serious security flaws.  Presently a discovered vulnerability in Java software 7  is being exploited by hackers who are using it for various nefarious purposes including locking computer users out of being able to access their computers unless they pay a ransom.  Hundreds of millions of people are affected by this flaw and are in danger of identity theft and worse.

TIPS

Until a patch is available, it is absolutely necessary to disable Java in order to protect yourself.  Those people who have Java 7 Update 10 can readily disable Java in their Web brosers through the use of he Java control panel applet.  Here is a link to Java’s own instruction page for disabling the program.  This is a critical step to take. http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/technotes/guides/jweb/client-security.html#disable