Over the past few months I have had to post so many things on Facebook and have read so many articles about Java exploits and patches that need to be done, that I am plain sick. This isn’t even mentioning the repeated annoyance of the Java update agent constantly popping up. Why do we keep subjecting ourselves to this software, and do we really need it?
The plain truth is that most of us don’t actually need Java anymore, but yet most (even after several warnings to do so) won’t uninstall it. As a computer tech, you would think that I would be the one that needs this software for at least some small function. However, I uninstalled it over three months ago now, and have not run across even one situation in which I do. Even for those that do need it, if you uninstall it and then need it, you’ll get a notice that it needs to be installed. Then you can just install it again. This way at least you are running the most up-to-date version.
Almost every time I mention to someone that they should uninstall it, they ask the question “What will happen if I don’t?” We’ll the answer is hopefully nothing, but it leaves you open to known security issues, and may result in you getting infected with either Viruses, Trojans, or Malware which all can cause lots of issues and down time. No matter how many times they update this software, they can’t seem to get it secure (probably due to it’s root functions). This past couple of months it got so bad that Home Land Security issued a warning about uninstalling it, and Apple forced it to be disabled in it’s OS (operating system).
The other big issue with this software package is that even bigger companies aren’t paying close attention to it. Just in this past month it was reported that Microsoft, Apple, & Facebook all had internal issues of infection due to Java Exploits. How and why is it that such big companies can’t and aren’t uninstalling Java? Do they really need it for their internal systems? And is our information and systems compromised due to them being vulnerable (and by reports infected)? These are big questions that their administrators and we as users of their systems should be thinking about and taking to heart.
I ask and I plead with readers of this article, if you don’t need Java then uninstall it. If you do need it, then make sure you are only and always running the most up-to-date version. We pride ourselves at keeping our clients protected as much as possible, but even we have had multiple issues over the past months due to clients getting infected from Java exploits by not heeding our warnings.
Jason Thomas
J&J Computers
