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Apple Awards Java a Circle-with-Slash Due to Security Issues By Barry Levine January 31, 2013 2:09PM     Java's security issues became much more visible when the Department of Homeland Security urgently recommended that users disable Java because of its vulnerabilities. Security researchers reported that several popular exploit kits -- packages of tools used by criminals to attack computers -- had been updated to exploit the newly discovered flaw.   Related Topics Apple Java Oracle Enterprise Security Malware Hackers Latest News Iran Hackers Target U.S. Energy Firms 7 ways To Not 'Screw Up' Tumblr Customer Service a Spectator Sport HP Profit Falls, But Outlook Soars Lenovo Soars Amid PC Industry Slump Apple has updated its blocking of Java in its OS X operating system. The company did so a few days after the discovery that the latest version of the Java Web plug-in, which was intended to fix security issues, is itself vulnerable to attacks. This move is the latest by the technology giant to shun Java, which has been cited by no less an authority than the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as being a security risk. Apple uses its XProtect mechanism for its Safari browser, which requires a particular version of Flash or Java plug-ins once an issue has been discovered with another version. The XProtect list defines which plug-in version is acceptable, and Apple can thus block others. The XProtect list is being used in this case to block Java by indicating that it will only accept a version number that has not yet been released. This is how the company blocked the Java Web plug-in earlier in January, following the discovery by researchers of security flaws. Chrome and Firefox Oracle, which owns Java, had released a new version of the plug-in, JRE version 1.7.0_11-b21, to counter the issues from early January. But a vulnerability for the new version was reported. To counter that issue, Oracle set the plug-in so that users would have to approve running any unsigned or self-signed Java applets -- that is, ones that did not have certificates by trusted authorities. Applets with trusted credentials could run without any input from the user. This past weekend, however, researchers discovered that a bug in Java's framework allowed attackers to bypass those security protections, thus enabling unsigned applets to run without user permission. If Mac users require Java for any regular functionality, they can use Chrome or Firefox browsers. However, both Google and the Mozilla Foundation, which issue those browsers, have indicated that they are also considering blocking Java plug-ins. A 'Mess' Earlier this month, Java's security issues became much more visible when the Department of Homeland Security issued an urgent recommendation that users disable Java software because of security vulnerabilities. Security researchers reported that several popular exploit kits -- which are packages of tools used by criminals to attack computers -- had been updated to exploit the newly discovered flaw. One security expert has described Java to news media as a "mess," and another has said the situation was "like open hunting season on consumers." Java is not needed in browsers for most activities, but it is used in some online activities, such as Citrix's widely used online collaboration software, GoToMeeting. Oracle, which acquired Java when it bought Sun, has a page that describes how to disable Java for all browsers on Windows machines, or individually by browser on any platform. The instructions, "How do I disable Java in my web browser," are at http://www.java.com/en/download/help/disable_browser.xml.   Tell Us What You Think Comment: Name: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Redefine the way you do business by analyzing market trends, increasing conversion, and creating customer loyalty through Microsoft Dynamics. Unlock your potential through real-time CRM solutions in sales, marketing, and customer service to help your business become more dynamic than ever before.  Mobile Tech 1.   Is Waze Worth a Billion in Bidding War? 2.   Viva Movil! Buy a Phone from J.Lo 3.   Samsung Sells 10 Million Galaxy S IVs 4.   Chrome Gets Conversational Search 5.   Armageddon for Phone-Maker HTC? Google Glass Raises Privacy Concerns House privacy panel wants answers. Average Rating: Mandatory BYOD Is Catching On Will be required by many within 4 years. Average Rating: Thorsten Heins Predicts Tablet Demise BlackBerry PlayBook may color his view? Average Rating:

Product Information and Resources for Technology You Can Use To Boost Your Business BYOD & MDM   Forrester Research Inc., Report: BYOD from AT&T. Make everyone more efficient. CRM Systems   Unlock the potential in your people with Microsoft Dynamics   How Microsoft Dynamics helped mobilize retail businesses   2 million CRM success stories and counting...   Experience CRM and Business Success today with Salesforce.com.   Optimize CRM with Data Quality Management. More from Trillium Cloud & Virtualization   Riverbed Stingray Traffic Manager on Amazon Web Services Contact Centers   Unlock the potential in your people with Microsoft Dynamics   Unlock the potential in your people with Microsoft Dynamics Customer Data   See how you can benefit from Microsoft Dynamics Customer Service   Improve your customer relationships with Microsoft Dynamics   2 million CRM success stories and counting...   Unlock the potential in your people with Microsoft Dynamics   Unlock the potential in your people with Microsoft Dynamics Data Security   Simpana® 10 software: an exponential leap forward Enterprise Hardware   The 2013 Toughpad™ tablets. Rugged, secure and built for business.   The best document scanner for you? Try KODAK's scanner selector   APC makes it easy for you to focus on business growth, not downtime. Enterprise I.T.   Brocade's mission: Making networks easier to deploy, manage, and scale.   11 Challenges Solved by Infrastructure for Small IT Environments Enterprise Software   Get critical data off paper and into SharePoint! Watch the video.   Simpana® 10 software: an exponential leap forward Hardware   The 2013 Toughpad™ tablets. Rugged, secure and built for business.   Rugged and reliable Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computers Innovation   The best document scanner for you? Try KODAK's scanner selector   Brocade's mission: Making networks easier to deploy, manage, and scale. Laptops & Tablets   Rugged and reliable Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computers. Mobile Tech   Rugged and reliable Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computers Small Business   The best document scanner for you? Try KODAK's scanner selector Tech Trends   APC makes it easy for you to focus on business growth, not downtime.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Lenovo Sales Soar Amid PC Industry Slump Computer maker Lenovo says its latest quarterly profit rose 90 percent as sales of smartphones and mobile computing technology expanded, amid a decline in desktop and laptop PC sales.   Newest HP PCs Aim for Flexibility, Mobility Hewlett-Packard is hoping its latest PC innovations will make its competitors envious. The new HP Envy Rove20 is the company's first mobile all-in-one PC, complete with a built-in battery and touch technology.   Dell Kills Its Public Cloud Effort, Will Offer Partner Marketplace Putting the kibosh on its efforts to build out a public cloud, Dell has announced a new program to offer a choice of cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service through a central marketplace of partners.

Mobile Enterprise Spotlight

Google, Facebook Reported in Talks To Buy Waze There's a bidding war going on over a crowd-sourced map application provider. Or so the rumor mill says. Credible sources are pointing to a competition between Google and Facebook for Waze.   Viva Movil! Buy a Phone from J.Lo Latina pop sensation and entrepreneur Jennifer Lopez is teaming with Verizon Wireless on a new 4G LTE network and wireless service dubbed Viva Movil by Jennifer Lopez, aimed at the U.S. Latino market.   Samsung Sells 10 Million Galaxy S IVs -- Four Every Second The new Galaxy S IV smartphone from Samsung is off to a strong start. The South Korean manufacturer has announced that global sales for the device have exceeded 10 million units in one month.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

Newest HP PCs Aim for Flexibility, Mobility Hewlett-Packard is hoping its latest PC innovations will make its competitors envious. The new HP Envy Rove20 is the company's first mobile all-in-one PC, complete with a built-in battery and touch technology.   New Nvidia Chip Boosts Citrix Graphics for Remote Workers The latest Nvidia Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) promises to boost remote graphics sharing through the Citrix remote desktop service. The new chip delivers better graphics for remote workers.   Security Alert: Beware of Tiffany Trojan on the Attack Malware writers are using a luxury name to hack your PC. Security watchdog Sophos reports e-mails appearing to be from Tiffany.com carry an attachment that can install a malicious Trojan on your PC.

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