Despite well-known snags, Java appears here to stay

By John Agsalud

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 05, 2013

~~<p>The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's recent announcement of a major security flaw in Java was the latest in a series of shots across the bow of the venerable computing platform. The department advised folks to disable Java in computers, tablets and phones that access the Internet (for some, a task easier said than done). While Homeland Security has often been accused of hyperbole in its announcements, this is one case where we believe the warning message was accurately delivered.</p>
<p>For one, Java runs on just about every personal computer (and other devices) in the world that accesses the Internet. That's a lot of folks with a security flaw. Moreover, this particular security flaw allows hackers to access all data on the computer or device.</p>
~~

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's recent announcement of a major security flaw in Java was the latest in a series of shots across the bow of the venerable computing platform. The department advised folks to disable Java in computers, tablets and phones that access the Internet (for some, a task easier said than done). While Homeland Security has often been accused of hyperbole in its announcements, this is one case where we believe the warning message was accurately delivered.

For one, Java runs on just about every personal computer (and other devices) in the world that accesses the Internet. That's a lot of folks with a security flaw. Moreover, this particular security flaw allows hackers to access all data on the computer or device. Login for more...