Hi,

Here is more info on the Java security problems.  This just appeared on the 
Chicago Tribune web site.  I don't think that the government is trying to 
scare us on this one.  I've known two people whose idenity was stolen and 
its not fun at all!

Bob, K8LR, [log in to unmask]
Reuters
6:48 a.m. CST, January 14, 2013
Oracle Corp. released an emergency update to its Java software for surfing 
the Web
on Sunday, but security experts said the update fails to protect PCs from 
attack
by hackers intent on committing cyber crimes.
The software maker released the update just days after the U.S. Department 
of Homeland
Security urged PC users to disable the program because of bugs in the 
software that
were being exploited to commit identity theft and other crimes.
Oracle's failure to quickly secure the software means that PCs running Java 
in their
browsers remain vulnerable to attack by criminals seeking to steal 
credit-card numbers,
banking credentials, passwords and commit other types of computer crimes.
Adam Gowdiak, a researcher with Poland's Security Explorations who has 
discovered
several bugs in the software over the past year, said that the update from 
Oracle
leaves unfixed several critical security flaws.
"We don't dare to tell users that it's safe to enable Java again," said 
Gowdiak.
Some security consultants are advising businesses to remove Java from the 
browsers
of all employees except for those who absolutely need to use the technology 
for critical
business purposes.
HD Moore, chief security officer with Rapid7, a company that helps 
businesses identify
critical security vulnerabilities in their networks, said it could take two 
years
for Oracle to fix all the security bugs that have currently been identified 
in the
version of Java that is used for surfing the Web.
"The safest thing to do at this point is just assume that Java is always 
going to
be vulnerable. Folks don't really need Java on their desktop," Moore said.
An Oracle spokeswoman declined to comment.
ORACLE'S UPDATE
Oracle said on its security blog on Sunday that its update fixed two 
vulnerabilities
in the version of Java 7 for Web browsers.
It said that it also switched Java's security settings to "high" by default, 
making
it more difficult for suspicious programs to run on a personal computer 
without the
knowledge of the user.
Java is a computer language that enables programmers to write software 
utilizing
just one set of code that will run on virtually any type of computer, 
including ones
that use Microsoft Corp's Windows, Apple Inc's OS X and Linux, an operating 
system
widely employed by corporations.
One version is installed in Internet browsers to access web content. 
Separate versions
are installed directly on PCs, server computers and other devices including 
phones,
webcams, and Blu-ray players.
The Department of Homeland Security and computer security experts said on 
Thursday
that hackers figured out how to exploit the bug in a version of Java used 
with Internet
browsers to install malicious software on PCs. That has enabled them to 
commit crimes
from identity theft to making infected computers part of an ad-hoc networks 
that
used to attack websites.
Oracle said that the flaws only affect Java 7, the program's most-recent 
version,
and versions of Java software designed to run on browsers.
Java is so widely used that the software has become a prime target for 
hackers. Last
year, Java surpassed Adobe Systems Inc's Reader software as the most 
frequently attacked
piece of software, according to security software maker Kaspersky Lab.
Java was responsible for 50 percent of all cyberattacks last year in which 
hackers
broke into computers by exploiting software bugs, according to Kaspersky. 
That was
followed by Adobe Reader, which was involved in 28 percent of all incidents. 
Microsoft
Windows and Internet Explorer were involved in about 3 percent of incidents, 
according
to the survey.
The Department of Homeland Security said attackers could trick targets into 
visiting
malicious websites that would infect their PCs with software capable of 
exploiting
the bug in Java.
It said an attacker could also infect a legitimate website by uploading 
malicious
software that would infect machines of computer users who trust that site 
because
they have previously visited it without experiencing any problems.
Security experts have been scrutinizing the safety of Java since a similar 
security
scare in August, which prompted some of them to advise using the software 
only on
an as-needed basis.
Meanwhile, Microsoft said on Sunday that would it release an update on 
Monday to
fix a previously disclosed flaw in Internet Explorer versions 6, 7 and 8 
that made
PCs vulnerable to attacks in which hackers can gain remote control of the 
machines.
Microsoft previously released a temporary fix to prevent such attacks.
Copyright © 2013, Reuters

Bob, K8LR, [log in to unmask]