How to disable Java - new vulnerability found
Firebrand Training
15 January, 2013
If you are one of the millions of users who has the Java plugin installed on any of your web browsers, then you could be at risk.
A new vulnerability has been discovered in the Java plugin that allows hackers to use malicious code to access information from your PC.
The US government has warned everyone with an official announcement through the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s(CERT) site, stating that the bugs in the program were being exploited to commit identity theft and other crimes. You can find the announcement here: www.us-cert.gov
Oracle-Sun, the company who created Java are currently working on resolving the issue, but until then the safest option is to disable the java plugin. They recently released an update to the plugin but the US Department of Homeland Security warned that it does not do enough to protect computers from attacks, so it’s still advised to disable the plugin until further notice.
"Unless it is absolutely necessary to run Java in web browsers, disable it," – CERT
How to disable Java on Windows
To disable Java on a Windows PC, go to the Control Panel. Open the Java icon, click on the Security panel and uncheck the box that says "enable Java content in the browser."
How to disable Java on Mac
To disable Java in Mac OS X, click on the Apple symbol symbol at the top right; select System Preferences. On System Preferences, type in Java and select the highlighted panel. One opened on a new console, click on the Security tab and on the security settings, and unclick the box which says Enable Java content in the browser. Finally, click Apply and you should have disabled Java in OS X.
How to disable Java on your web browser
To disable Java on your web browser, click on settings; then ‘Extensions’or ‘Plugins’; find the Java plugin and disable it.
Further information is available from Oracle on its Java website.