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Java Update Implements Whitelists To Combat 0-Day Hacks

Posted by timothy on from the let's-see-your-invitation dept.

kylus writes "The Register is reporting that Oracle's new Java 7 update 40 release comes complete with a new 'Deployment Rule Set' capability which allows administrators to define which particular applets and Java Web Start applications ('Rich Internet Applications') are permitted to run on a given machine. Not a complete solution for the recent trend of Java hacks that have cropped up, but good news for enterprises that have to run this in their environment." Update: 09/19 20:08 GMT by U L : There's an introduction to deploying rule sets on the Java platform group weblog too.

7 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. About time by benjfowler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Like it or not, a lot of crap line-of-business/enterprise software still uses old, hacked-together garbage applets, and they need to be supported.

    There's quite a few games out there written as applets too (e.g. Minecraft, the Jin Chess Client), and speaking for myself, I want to run one or two of them without feeling like I'm holidaying in Baghdad.

    1. Re:About time by Joining+Yet+Again · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Would you mind clarifying for me what you would prefer?

      Because I agree with you that Java on the desktop is horrible, but only in the sense that it doesn't properly integrate with the operating system - in that sense, web apps are even worse. DotNet/NGWS is better, but still a layer of pointlessness originally created for no other reason than MS didn't like Sun - if you're going to write platform-specific code, might as well use Win32 - then write your own cross-platform layers if needed so absolutely everything looks *native* and integrates beautifully on each target, something that every existing cross-platform library fails fucking hard at.

      Once again, this is where Apple got it right: fuck web apps, because you want people to take advantage of your own platform. Hence the iOS SDK. And Android followed. This is why phones and tablets are succeeding while PCs are dying - because people are actually developing for the former, but they've given up on the latter in favour of "the web", where everything is third rate.

  2. Re:Whitelists mean nothing by kylus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As I said at the end of the summary, this really isn't a complete solution and you're right about a whitelisted applet/RIA being vulnerable. However this is a good piece of 'defense in depth' to prevent random Java crap from executing without authorization if (when) another bug crops and is somehow exploited. If the stuff you're whitelisting has problems, you need to revisit your coding quality checks, or talk to whatever vendor is supplying it to you.

    --
    --Kylus
    Idiot-proof something, and Life will build a better Idiot.
  3. Statement from Oracle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "We give up. We're too incompetent to fix the bugs, so we'll just foist a huge inconvenience on our customers who are locked in to our platform."

  4. Re:pointless by h4rr4r · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No everyone has not. There are a great many enterprise apps that companies rely on that need this. Normal users will not know to turn it on, nor to turn it off.

  5. Re:Oracle are fab by Joce640k · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Finally, an admission that they'll never be able to make it secure, that blacklisting everything by default is the only way forward.

    --
    No sig today...
  6. Re:Why only applets? by swilver · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'd recommend installing a better firewall instead.