Should I be concerned about the JAVA security scare?

I use an iMAC with OSX 10.8.2 Mountain Lion.
In my SAFARI Security Preferences Java is Enabled.
I am always reluctant to do anything to change existing settings.
Should I Disable Java?

Oracle's released update 7u11 which fixes the exploit.

Similar Messages

HT1338 There is a lot of talk about the Java security issues and the ability to download a patch fix, do i need to do this or will software update pick this up for me?

There is a lot of talk about the Java security issues and the ability to download an apple patch fix, do i need to do this or will software update pick this up for me?

Thanks for that, how do I establish if I have Java installed as on Safari preferences it indicates the following
Web content - Enable Java
- Enable JavaScript

Should I have concerns about the integrity of Best Buy's Mac sales?

I bought my iMac OS X, Early 2008 Model from a Best Buy store. I was a naive & pensive 1st time [ever] PC buyer. The sales [kid] led me to an iMac that had been returned, and referred to it as an "open box sale." I was re-assured the Mac had been completely "wiped clean of all..." After setting it up at home, I found out different; and the previous owner had it for 4 months! Earlier at B.Buy the sales kid told me after asking "why was it returned?" His reply, "Because the screen was too big." His answer certainly didn't make sense to me then, or when I discovered [at home] that it took the 1st owner [him] so long to decide it wasn't what he wanted. So I packed up my Mac & returned to the B.Buy store to have everything cleared.
I knew I had a lot of trial & error lessons on my hands, not being a computer literate person, but evidently I like a good challenge; and that it has been! No complaints; at first I was concerned about 'doing something wrong'. I was re-assured by the Geek Squad, "You can't harm it; just explore your Mac to get to know it." Well, needless to say, not being able to follow instructions in Owner's Manuals, I'm more of a "slowly SHOW me HOW TO, and what's what" type of learner. I had to Google everything pertaining to PC terminology, steps on how to download & install, files, folders, using delete/trash, keeping all in place/order and NOT duplicating [and which one to keep if I did!] Please don't think I'm stupid; my Mac has been properly stored for 6 years, minus 8 months. I was not in the position in my life to have it set up in a secure environment. Since Jan 2014, my Mac & I have spent many hours, equalling weeks & months face-to-[screen] face!
I've had many problems since installing OS X Mavericks 10.9.4; and was very apprehensive updating due to the many unfavorable Reviews I had been researching. But I couldn't keep ignoring Apple's repeated recommendations of keeping every item updated. So I eventually found my way to all info, ON ONE PAGE! Yipee! I could not believe what I was reading! Even though I was aware my APPLE apps, plug-ins, utilities, etc. were not auto updating [set to do so]. I FINALLY found my Mac's PROBLEM. My main software, Snow Leopard (10.6.8) is GROSSLY OUTDATED! I totally spaced that due to my Mac being packed away for so long. So I'm working on that. I'M SHARING all MY INFO hoping to help other's who are at my technical level. SO all YOU COMPUTER WHIZZES can SCOFF, GIGGLE all YOU WANT . I take no offense, I'm kidding ☀️.
BUT!! Since learning how & where to navigate through the system's files & such, and seeing documents, folders and files that strike me as odd, I have a NAGGING ITCH something is there from the ORIGINAL OWNER. He CREATED SOMETHING, a way into my system, CURRENTLY. I've had to Google 'plist names', and with the help of a very longtime good Facebook friend in New York State, I am learning more from his knowledge & advice. ALL my APPLE security settings are set-up, deny's & allows, and I'm not downloading Videos from MeTube , or anywhere else for that matter. I only download SAFE game apps, and I'm the ONLY user. ANY IDEAS or SUGGESTIONS COMP WHIZZES? Besides updating my software; I'm just trying to find out [on that subject] if I have to buy, download/install all Software Programs of past to be able to run the current OS X Mavericks? Which I read already has a 10.9.5 version. I wanted to become a part of the "Preview Program" for Yosemite; but nope, I cannot!
REASONS for MY PREVIOUS OWNER Concerns: My system got so bad, while attempting to Chat on fb w/one friend; every letter I typed, the rainbow ball would spin forever, highlight & delete partial words, and would totally crash. I downloaded an anti Virus app for Mac; scanned my system [took forever]; ending w/a report of 55 VIRUSES!! Many files could not be scanned too. My Mac HD Encrypted Logical Partition Drive un-mounted at least two times, and there's one too many files than there should be. But the file name was not shown, only that the count is off. HELP?
Message was edited by: SFO.13

While I am no fan of Best Buy and would not buy a lightbulb from them I doubt you issues have anything to do with your iMac and more to do with your lack of experience and simply getting bad advice. Judging by you post I suspect you have loaded your computer down with a lot of crapware and that has caused it's problems. For example running antivirus apps on a Mac not only is a waste of time, it's a waste of money, system resources and will eventually create more problems that it solves. Please begin educating yourself on the subject by reading Thomas Reeds articles on the subject, Thomas is a frequent and knowledgeable contributor to these forums. You can find his webpage at http://www.reedcorner.net/tech-guides/
The good news is here are absolutely no, zero, zippo viruses for OS X. There are other types of malware available (for example trojans) however they differ greatly from viruses in that the use has to download and install them, whereas viruses do not work that way. OS X is not like MS Windows and is extremely secure.
My suggestion at this point would be to clean your computer of the crapware (including antivirus apps) however before doing so please download and install EtreCheck and post its report. Then we can see how your computer has been configured and begin to give you some advice on the next steps.

Should there be concern about the EOL of most of the droid phones?

for a while ive been researching heavily about droid phones due to verizon wireless taking over my centennial wireless in my town.
ive been extremely excited and though i have to wait till may of 2011, i was hoping to get a droid x which is the best for my current lifestyle.
well i was looking up if there were going to be any new phones coming out between now and may and i came across this article that i have the link to below. it talks about the EOL of the droid phones and alot of them including the X and incredible will stop being sold if i read it correctly.
so what is up with this? will i be out of luck come may when i wont be able to buy the X i want or is this good news about better phones that will come out and maybe they will come out with a phone that is the same size and operating system layout as the X? why would verizon do this?
link:
http://www.androidcentral.com/slew-verizon-phones-may-see-end-life-march-2010

leader0101 wrote:
so does this mean that when i finally switch over to verizon in may, the X will not be sold but the new phones will be?
any idea if they will finally get the bugs worked out in the new devices? like did they get things right with the droid 2 global and the pro that just came out?
and in the case that i get to switch over sooner than may, should i hold off till the new phones or get one of the phones that are available at the momment?
I think there will always be some bug that some find annoying. As for my Inc. I have had it since the day it rolled out and with all that you see in the forum, I have never had any of those issues. Remember, subs come here for issues. But there are 90+ million subs out there, so for the majority, all is well.
As for the X, you may very well find a 3rd party or an affiliate store in May that still has the phone you want.
I thought the Global Droid comes out next week. As for holding out for something else or get one that is available at that moment...... that is a decision you have to make. These devices are constantly evolving. By may there could very well be an LTE Droid out there.... That really throws a wrinkle in the decision process!!

Should we be concerned about this?

We were reading about this virus that effects 10.5.6 here.
Should we be concerned about it? How real is it? Thanks.

No viruses that can attack OS X have so far been detected 'in the wild', i.e. in anything other than laboratory conditions.
It is possible, however, to pass on a Windows virus to another Windows user, for example through an email attachment. To prevent this all you need is the free anti-virus utility ClamXav, which you can download from:
http://www.clamxav.com/
However, the appearance of Trojans and other malware that can possibly infect a Mac seems to be growing, but is a completely different issue to viruses.
If you allow a Trojan to be installed, the user's DNS records can be modified, redirecting incoming internet traffic through the attacker's servers, where it can be hijacked and injected with malicious websites and pornographic advertisements. The trojan also installs a watchdog process that ensures the victim's (that's you!) DNS records stay modified on a minute-by-minute basis.
You can read more about how, for example, the OSX/DNSChanger Trojan works here:
http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/trojanosxdnschanger.shtml
SecureMac has introduced a free Trojan Detection Tool for Mac OS X. It's available here:
http://macscan.securemac.com/
The DNSChanger Removal Tool detects and removes spyware targeting Mac OS X and allows users to check to see if the trojan has been installed on their computer; if it has, the software helps to identify and remove the offending file. After a system reboot, the users' DNS records will be repaired.
(Note that a 30 day trial version of MacScan can be downloaded free of charge from:
http://macscan.securemac.com/buy/
and this can perform a complete scan of your entire hard disk. After 30 days the cost is $29.99. The full version permits you to scan selected files and folders only, as well as the entire hard disk. It will detect (and delete if you ask it to) all 'tracker cookies' that switch you to web sites you did not want to go to.)
A white paper has recently been published on the subject of Trojans by SubRosaSoft, available here:
http://www.macforensicslab.com/ProductsAndServices/index.php?mainpage=document_general_info&cPath=11&productsid=174
Also, beware of MacSweeper:
MacSweeper is malware that misleads users by exaggerating reports about spyware, adware or viruses on their computer. It is the first known "rogue" application for the Mac OS X operating system. The software was discovered by F-Secure, a Finland based computer security software company on January 17, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacSweeper
On June 23, 2008 this news reached Mac users:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/23/mac_trojan/
More information on Mac security can be found here:
http://macscan.securemac.com/
The MacScan application can be downloaded from here:
http://macscan.securemac.com/buy/
You can download a 30 day trail copy which enables you to do a full scan of your hard disk. After that it costs $29.95.
More on Trojans on the Mac here:
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/63574.html?welcome=1214487119
This was published on July 25, 2008:
Attack code that exploits flaws in the net's addressing system are starting to circulate online, say security experts.
The code could be a boon to phishing gangs who redirect web users to fake bank sites and steal login details.
In light of the news net firms are being urged to apply a fix for the loop-hole before attacks by hi-tech criminals become widespread.
Net security groups say there is anecdotal evidence that small scale attacks are already happening.
Further details here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7525206.stm
A further development was the Koobface malware that can be picked up from Facebook (already a notorious site for malware, like many other 'social networking' sites), as reported here on December 9, 2008:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7773000/7773340.stm
You can keep up to date, particularly about malware present in some downloadable pirated software, at the Securemac site:
http://www.securemac.com/
There may be other ways of guarding against Trojans, viruses and general malware affecting the Mac, and alternatives will probably appear in the future. In the meantime the advice is: be careful where you go on the web and what you download!
As to the current 'Conficker furore' affecting Intel-powered computers, MacWorld recently had this to say:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?email&NewsID=25613
Although any content that you download has the possibility of containing malicious software, practising a bit of care will generally keep you free from the consequences of anything like the DNSChanger trojan.
1. Avoid going to suspect and untrusted Web sites, especially *********** sites.
2. Check out what you are downloading. Mac OS X asks you for you administrator password to install applications for a reason! Only download media and applications from well-known and trusted Web sites. If you think you may have downloaded suspicious files, read the installer packages and make sure they are legit. If you cannot determine if the program you downloaded is infected, do a quick Internet search and see if any other users reported issues after installing a particular program.
3. Use an antivirus program like ClamXav. If you are in the habit of downloading a lot of media and other files, it may be well worth your while to run those files through an AV application.
4. Use Mac OS X's built-in Firewalls and other security features.
5. Stop using LimeWire. LimeWire (and other peer-to-peer sharing applications) are hotbeds of potential software issues waiting to happen to your Mac. Everything from changing permissions to downloading trojans and other malicious software can be acquired from using these applications.

I am concerned about the health of my current computer but have not yet made the commitment to a new one, but: 1) How can I transfer my iTunes account to a new computer when I get one... and 2) What can I do if my current computer suddenly implodes and I

I am a bit of a computer/Internet/iTunes dummy....
I am concerned about the health of my current computer but have not yet made the commitment to a new one, but:
1) How can I transfer my iTunes account to a new computer when I get one...
and
2) What can I do if my current computer suddenly implodes and I have not yet 'copied/'saved'/otherwise protected my account, as is? -- I have already had my computer crash once and had one of your people help me restore all of the paid for songs (none of the uploaded from my own collection of CD songs, of course, so I had to spend a long time rebuilding that) -- and I believe I was told you could only help me recover that material one or two times altogether, no?
WithOUT purchasing a Mach or iCloud (I actually think I have one of the later, but rarely have checked it) account, is there anything I can do to responsibly protect my account?
Thanks for any time taken on this!!!

These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.
Method 1
Backup the library with this User Tip.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
Method 2
Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entire iTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.
Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.
I'd recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library.
Note if you have iOS devices and haven't moved your contacts and calendar items across then you should create one dummy entry of each in your new profile and iTunes should merge the existing data from the device.
If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See make a split library portable.
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library or a backup then then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data.
tt2

Is there a way to view Flash videos on my iMac without downloading Adobe Flash Player? I'm concerned about performance and security with Flash Player.

Is there a way to view Flash videos on my iMac without downloading Adobe Flash Player? I'm concerned about performance and security with Adobe Flash Player.

If the video is only available in a format that requires Flash player : then no.
However, a great many can also be viewed in an HTML5 version, in which case http://hoyois.github.io/safariextensions/clicktoplugin/ or similar can be set up so that Flash never runs unless you specifically choose it to.

Should I be concerned about heat??

Hi, My macbook gets quite hot and is almost unbearable on the lap. Should I be concerned about this? I have heard about this issue and I wanted to know if it can be ignored.

Mine averages about 160F inside, so the case is bound to get quite warm. Use an insulator between your lap and the MacBook. I bought this EZ Laptop Riser for my MacBook. Works great on your lap. It's well built, keeps your lap cool and helps dissipates some of the MacBook's heat.
-Bmer
Mac Owners Support Group
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I have just pre-purchased the Iphone 5 and am concerned about the Nano_SIM. I am with Telstra in Australia. How and where do I get a Nano M and how do I get my pre-paid account onto the new SIM?

I have just pre-purchased the Iphone 5 and am concerned about the Nano_SIM. I am with Telstra in Australia. How and where do I get a Nano M and how do I get my pre-paid account onto the new SIM?

The nano SIM should come with the phone if you set it up with a carrier.
If you purchased an unlocked phone, you'll have to contact your carrier to get a nano sim card.

I just got my MacBook Pro a month ago. However I am realizing I need more hard drive space due to aps and programs. I use am external but am concerned about the space. Is there a way to upgrade my hard drive from apple and keep my warranty valid?

I just got my MacBook Pro a month ago. However I am realizing I need more hard drive space due to aps and programs. I use am external but am concerned about the space. Is there a way to upgrade my hard drive from apple and keep my warranty valid?

That would depend on whether your model actually has a hard drive. If you have the new 2013 Retina model, then you have a fixed storage device built-in that cannot be modified after purchase.

Whats the strangest thing about the Java platform?

Hello All,
In an interview (http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/Interviews/bloch_effective_08_qa.html) that I did with Joshua Bloch on java.sun.com, promoting the revised version of “Effective Java”, he discusses generics, enums, annotations, the under-use of Java libraries, the importance of minimizing the accessibility of classes and members and minimizing mutability, and other matters.
To my question: “What’s the strangest thing about the Java platform?” his answer was: “I'm going to say that the strangest thing about the Java platform is that the byte type is signed. I've never heard an explanation for this. It's quite counterintuitive and causes all sorts of errors.”
You also might be interested in checking out the lively discussion activated by the jsc QA
over here on the serverside: http://www.theserverside.com/news/thread.tss?thread_id=51624
Jan Heiss, writer for java.sun.com

DrClap wrote:
I liked how he said "What Not to Do" and then brought up java.util.Calendar. I always thought the idea of starting the months' numbering from zero instead of one was one of the most bizarre language design decisions ever made. But it made me think of the TV show "What Not to Wear". We definitely need Clinton and Stacy to show up in Calendar's apartment and send it out for a refit. (Although apparently that's actually happening in Java 7.)Isn't that a carry over from [C's struct tm|http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/clibrary/ctime/tm.html], where tm_mon (0-11) was the number of months since January?

My iPhone sometimes gets really hot, especially when I charge it. Should I be concerned about this?

My iPhone sometimes gets really hot, especially when I charge it. Should I be concerned about this?

Yes. Try a different electrical outlet or computer and a different USB cable.

Considering buying an iphone 5 but am concerned about the maps app. Is it truly an issue?

Considering buying an iphone 5 but am concerned about the maps app. Is it truly an issue?

Depends what you want the maps for. The image quality of the satellite images is far better than google, the 3-D imagery is fantastic and very useful for me. I do not use the maps app for finding routes so I can't comment on that. For me, the only downside is that you cannot download imagery for offline use, though the app does cache imagery that you have viewed when online, so that is a partial fix. As far as I am concerned, it is way better than anything else I have seen.

Should I be concerned with the recent news about Java on my mac

Have been hearing all the news about the concerns with Java from Homeland Security and that users should disable from their computers temporarily. I am by no means a techie, however I see that Mac uses Java applet. Is this something I should look at temporrily disabling from my Mac? I wasn't sure how to proceed. Can some one give some advise and in layman terms.......

Java is only a potential problem if you have it installed and enabled in your Internet browser. Safari has had it disabled as the default for a while now.
To check to make sure it is disabled in your browser. Open Safari->Preferences->Security and make sure Enable Java is not checked
Note: Java and JavaScript are two different languages and are not to be confused. JavaScript is fine to have enabled.
regards

After clicking "close" X, a message appears then disappears too quickly to read. It begins "Firefox will close now..." The word "security" appears in the next line. What is the rest of this message and should I be concerned about "security"?

none further

The full message that was almost impossible for me to read was: “'''Firefox will close now. Please standby while BetterPrivacy checks your hard disk for LSO cookies…'''”
To see if your message is the same or different:
1. Open Firefox
2. Press and hold the Shift key with your left hand
3. Close Firefox
4. Then, as soon as the message appears, press the Print Screen key with your right hand
5. Open the Microsoft Paint program, go to the Edit Menu and press Paste
6. A box with the full message should appear. If not, continue to open and close Firefox and hit Shift/Print Screen until you time it just right and the message will appear when you paste it into Paint
There would not appear to be any security concerns with the message posted above
There may be security concerns if your message is different.

Should I be concerned about the JAVA security scare?

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