Java Vulnerability

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recently recommended that computer users disable or uninstall Java 7 (version 1.7) in their web browsers because of a recently identified security vulnerability.  As a result, most people have probably seen information about this in the mainstream media because of the scope and potential impact of this vulnerability.

The US-CERT announcement provides the specific details about the vulnerability and mitigation recommendations which are available at:  http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA13-010A.html .

Banner Users:

The Banner system requires the use of the latest available Java version. It is highly recommended to uninstall all old versions of Java and then install the latest available version. Banner users can contact the I.T. Help Desk for assistance at 734.487.2120 with any questions or concerns.

Non-Banner Users:

It is recommended to those not using Banner and have the older version of Java to upgrade to the latest version of Java and then disable Java in your browser. Chrome and Firefox are pushing out disabling the upgrade as an update to the browser, but we are advising users to verify that Java is disabled as a precautionary measure. Instructions for disabling Java in common browsers are available at:  http://www.java.com/en/download/help/disable_browser.xml

Questions or concerns can be directed to the I.T. Help Desk at 734.487.2120 or IT.HelpDesk@emich.edu or to I.T. Security at it-security@list2.emich.edu .