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Dangerous Java Flaw Threatens 'Virtually Everything'

Posted by Zonk on from the let-it-cool-down-first dept.

Marc Nathoni writes with a ZDet article about a critically dangerous hole in the Java Runtime Environment. Due to the ubiquitousness of Java, this could prove a serious security problem. "Australia's Computer Emergency Response Team (AusCERT) analyst, Robert Lowe, warned that anyone using the Java Runtime Environment or Java Development Kit is at risk. 'Delivery of exploits in this manner is attractive to attackers because even though the browser may be fully patched, some people neglect to also patch programs invoked by browsers to render specific types of content,' said Lowe."

2 of 323 comments (clear)

  1. Everything has a Context by fm6 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Dude, evaluate words in context. "Everything" implicitly means "everything that we're talking about." If I go into a football huddle and say "everything's at stake in this next play" everybody knows I mean the game and nobody infers that dropping the ball means the end of the universe.

    Your alternative headline ("everything virtual") implies that only Java software is affected. Which I hope is not what you meant. I haven't seen a proper description of this exploit, but if it allows the attacker to inject native code into the target, then everything on that computer is affected. And to an IT director, computers are everything.

    I'm not faulting you for nitpicking. That's what I do for a living. But not all nits are worth picking.

  2. Re:Fixed in JRE 5 Update 12? by neuromancer23 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Of Topic:

    Quick note on the Constitution link:

    It says that gay marriage is not protected by the U.S. Constitution, which is incorrect. While the constitution does not specifically mention marriage, the 14th amendment guarantees "equal protection under the law" to all citizens, so technically anyone who voted for a ban on gay marriage is guilty of participating in a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of homosexuals, since we allow extra benefits and special treatment of individuals who are married (which is also illegal and constitutes a conspiracy against unmarried individuals).

    Also, the IRS and income tax are illegal under amendments 5, 13, 14, but they get away with it by making it voluntary and then enforcing it like it is mandatory.

    See also: Schizophrenia