Premi
December 2nd, 2011, 12:40 PM
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-tools/small-business-briefing/why-you-need-to-update-java-on-work-computers-now/article2257957/ (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-tools/small-business-briefing/why-you-need-to-update-java-on-work-computers-now/article2257957/)
A warning from All Things D (http://allthingsd.com/20111202/why-today-is-a-very-good-day-to-update-java-on-your-computer/?mod=atdtweet), brought by The Wall Street Journal: Update the version of Java running on your computer -- now.
Why? A "scary vulnerability" detected and subsequently fixed by Oracle Corp. is nevertheless being exploited by the computer bad guys, and they could create the malware and crimeware that could wreak havoc on small and other sized businesses, according to the AllThings D report.
But even after it was found and fixed, nobody on the security side realized how dangerous it was, according to the report. But crimeware creators figured it out, and starting adding code to websites to take advantage of it, according to the report.
That is particularly dangerous at this time of year, when people are using home and work computers to shop online, and many IT staffers are on vacation, according to the report.
It noted that The National Vulnerability Database rated this vulnerability as a 10 out of 10 on its severity scale, and low on an access complexity scale, which means it's high in ease to carry out an attack using it, according to the AllThings D report.
Java has become the most common target for hackers, according to a Microsoft Corp. security report (http://www.microsoft.com/security/sir/default.aspx), which said that the most common software exploits in the first half of this year were against vulnerabilities in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), according to several reports, including this one (http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2129486/java-hackers-common-target) and this one (http://visualstudiomagazine.com/articles/2011/12/01/java-is-the-most-exploited-technology.aspx). The report found that one-third to one-half of all exploits were associated with JRE.
One reason it's such a focus is because the programming language is installed in millions of computers worldwide. And as the reports note, though the vulnerabilities get fixed, attackers work on the hope that users will put off software updates.
What to do? Keep your software up to date with the latest patches, and until you can do that, disable Java and block it at your firewall, the reports advise.
Bye 2011, hello 2012
It's that that time of year, when the pundits and prognosticators start to weigh in on what's up for the coming year.
What lies ahead for small business? TheStreet.com weighs in with nine trends (http://www.thestreet.com/story/11329596/1/9-small-business-trends-for-2012.html) to watch for in 2012.
Before they even get there, however, Reuters offers up some ways that small businesses can make the most of the last month of 2011 (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-tools/small-business-briefing/why-you-need-to-update-java-on-work-computers-now/article2257957/'Tis%20the%20season%20for%20small%20business%20owners%20to%20take%20stock%20of%202011%20and%20get%20ready%20for%20succes s%20in%202012.%20We%20know%20the%20holidays%20are%20always%20hectic,%20but%20it's%20an%20important%20time%20of%20year%20 for%20your%20business.%20Not%20only%20is%20this%20the%20season%20when%20retailers%20make%20most%20of%20their%20income,%2 0it's%20also%20a%20good%20time%20to%20sit%20down%20and%20strategize,%20USA%20Today%20recommends.%20Here%20are%20some%20t ips%20to%20make%20the%20last%20month%20of%20the%20year%20pay%20off%20in%202012.)to pay off in the year ahead.
A warning from All Things D (http://allthingsd.com/20111202/why-today-is-a-very-good-day-to-update-java-on-your-computer/?mod=atdtweet), brought by The Wall Street Journal: Update the version of Java running on your computer -- now.
Why? A "scary vulnerability" detected and subsequently fixed by Oracle Corp. is nevertheless being exploited by the computer bad guys, and they could create the malware and crimeware that could wreak havoc on small and other sized businesses, according to the AllThings D report.
But even after it was found and fixed, nobody on the security side realized how dangerous it was, according to the report. But crimeware creators figured it out, and starting adding code to websites to take advantage of it, according to the report.
That is particularly dangerous at this time of year, when people are using home and work computers to shop online, and many IT staffers are on vacation, according to the report.
It noted that The National Vulnerability Database rated this vulnerability as a 10 out of 10 on its severity scale, and low on an access complexity scale, which means it's high in ease to carry out an attack using it, according to the AllThings D report.
Java has become the most common target for hackers, according to a Microsoft Corp. security report (http://www.microsoft.com/security/sir/default.aspx), which said that the most common software exploits in the first half of this year were against vulnerabilities in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), according to several reports, including this one (http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2129486/java-hackers-common-target) and this one (http://visualstudiomagazine.com/articles/2011/12/01/java-is-the-most-exploited-technology.aspx). The report found that one-third to one-half of all exploits were associated with JRE.
One reason it's such a focus is because the programming language is installed in millions of computers worldwide. And as the reports note, though the vulnerabilities get fixed, attackers work on the hope that users will put off software updates.
What to do? Keep your software up to date with the latest patches, and until you can do that, disable Java and block it at your firewall, the reports advise.
Bye 2011, hello 2012
It's that that time of year, when the pundits and prognosticators start to weigh in on what's up for the coming year.
What lies ahead for small business? TheStreet.com weighs in with nine trends (http://www.thestreet.com/story/11329596/1/9-small-business-trends-for-2012.html) to watch for in 2012.
Before they even get there, however, Reuters offers up some ways that small businesses can make the most of the last month of 2011 (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-tools/small-business-briefing/why-you-need-to-update-java-on-work-computers-now/article2257957/'Tis%20the%20season%20for%20small%20business%20owners%20to%20take%20stock%20of%202011%20and%20get%20ready%20for%20succes s%20in%202012.%20We%20know%20the%20holidays%20are%20always%20hectic,%20but%20it's%20an%20important%20time%20of%20year%20 for%20your%20business.%20Not%20only%20is%20this%20the%20season%20when%20retailers%20make%20most%20of%20their%20income,%2 0it's%20also%20a%20good%20time%20to%20sit%20down%20and%20strategize,%20USA%20Today%20recommends.%20Here%20are%20some%20t ips%20to%20make%20the%20last%20month%20of%20the%20year%20pay%20off%20in%202012.)to pay off in the year ahead.