If you don’t use Java for anything, you should uninstall it right
now. if it’s installed, you’ll find it in the list of installed programs
in your Control Panel. If you’re not sure whether you need Java, try
uninstalling it anyway. You probably won’t even notice that it’s gone.
If you can’t uninstall Java yet and still need it, we’ll give you
some strategies for mitigating the security problems you face with Java
installed.
If You Only Use Java Desktop Programs
If you need Java installed, there’s a good chance you only use it for
desktop programs like Minecraft or the Android SDK. If you only need
Java installed for desktop applications, you should ensure Java browser
integration is disabled. This will prevent malicious websites from
loading the Java browser plugin to silently install malware using one of
the many Java vulnerabilities that regularly becomes exploited online.
First, open the Java Control Panel by pressing the Windows key,
typing Java, and pressing Enter. (On Windows 8, you’ll need to select
the Settings category after typing Java).
Click the Security tab and uncheck the
Enable Java content in the browser checkbox.
This will disable the Java plug-in in all browsers on your computer,
although downloaded applications will still be able to use Java.
This option is fairly new and was introduced in Java 7 Update 10.
Previously, there was no easy way to disable Java in all browsers on
your computer.
If You Use Java in Your Browser
If you’re one of the minority of people who needs to use Java applets
in your browser, there are some steps you can take to lock things down.
You should have multiple browsers installed – your main browser with
Java disabled and a secondary browser with Java enabled. Use the
secondary browser exclusively for websites where you need Java. This
will prevent websites from exploiting Java during your normal browsing.
Follow the steps here
to disable Java in your primary browser. Use the secondary browser only
to run Java applets on trusted websites, such as your company’s
intranet. If you don’t trust a website, don’t run Java content from it.
You may also want to enable click-to-play plugins in
Chrome or
Firefox. This will prevent Java (and Flash) content from running until you allow it.
Keep Java Updated!
If you do keep Java installed, ensure you keep it updated. To change
your Java update settings, open the Java Control Panel from earlier and
use the Update tab.
Ensure Java is set to check for updates automatically. (You can also run a manual update by clicking Update Now.)
You should also click the Advanced button and set Java to check for
updates once per day. By default, it checks once a month or week – way
too infrequently for such as vulnerable piece of software. Whenever you
see a Java update balloon appear in your system tray, update Java soon
as possible.
Older Java versions left the old, vulnerable versions installed when
they updated. Luckily, newer versions of Java clean up older versions
properly. However, even the latest security patches won’t protect you
from everything. The latest version of Java is still vulnerable, even
after an emergency patch.
Courtesty HTG
