Update 2/11/2013: A third update should be out in mid-February to patch yet another critical vulnerability.
If this bit of news hasn’t been on your radar already, we’d like to bring an important security flaw to your attention. Several major security flaws have been discovered in Oracle’s Java that have prompted two major updates in the last few weeks. The second update didn’t garner as much media attention, so you may have missed it. That update should be applied as well.
Java was developed to provide a unified platform for running applications on a multitude of operating systems and devices. As technology has progressed and its usefulness diminished, Java has come under some scrutiny as it has been primarily used as a vector for virus infection.
Many security researchers, including Homeland Security, have recommended people disable or uninstall the java components as most people don’t use them. So far, we’ve recommended people apply the updates if they know they’re using it, and uninstall it if not.