Java: No more coffee for you.

Odds are that every blogger that has a tight focus on computer security has authored a blog post about Java. So why am I wasting your time? I am just in case the reader happens to know an alien (little green men) that does not know about this. And for those that are of the Homo Sapiens race, I will try to make this post not boring because you have likely heard of the Java exploits as of late.

First, what is Java? Java is a cross platform programing language that is cross platform. That's techie talk for code that can be run on multiple operating systems without having to change the code for that specific operating system (such as running on Windows and then turning around and running on Mac OS X.) While this can be useful, it can also mean that an exploit affects everybody using Java. So, sorry Mac users, if Java can be exploited, so can your Mac.

Why is it so important to keep Java updated if you need it? Java is exploited frequently today, that means that hackers have found weaknesses in the security that allows them to launch attacks. If a hacker launches an attack against you, your whole day can be ruined. But there are two issues with constantly updating Java. They are: 1. It seems to be a cat and mouse game, once something is fixed, something else is found that hackers can take advantage of. 2. The hackers normally know about the exploit at least a day before the good guys do, this is time that they can use to launch attacks right now without having to wait. This is why every computer security expert worth his or her salt (and me as well) recommends disabling Java if you do not need it.

For instructions on how to disable Java go here. The article is old, but you can still use the instructions provided.

Hope this helps with some confusion you might of had about Java. And if this post helped an alien you know, please tell it to comment below. You can comment too if you want. By the way, the name comes from the fact that the creator drinks quite a lot of Java coffee.