Java has certainly received its share of fanfare over the past few months. When we speak of Java, we are not talking about your morning cup of coffee. Java is a common protocol on almost every Windows computer and is an essential element for many websites and games. A security flaw in the software could allow a hacker to infect your system and under the right circumstances, gain control of a machine. The key phrase here is “under the right circumstances”. Like most security holes, and they are a dime a dozen, all the ingredients must come together to get all the bad effects. Oracle, the company that produces Java, was at first slow in getting the required updates out there to fix the flaw but as of late, the updates have been rolling in and if you use the default security settings, you will have good protection from an unwanted bug. Although Java has been given a primary focus as of late, security flaws also exist in Adobe Reader, Flash and other software as well. I believe that many times when we get infected it is due to our own actions when we go to risky or unknown sites, especially those related to shopping or games. Often times this will happen when we are looking for software to protect our very own machines! Many antivirus sites are actually fake but can look a lot like the real thing. Care must be taken when searching for antivirus software to be sure you are on an official site. The new Java update includes a feature that allows us to run or not run an application. When you are on a known good site, if you put a tic next to the box that says “not to ask about this page again”, your computer will remember the option and not bug you every time you open that page. If you are on a free game site or an unknown shopping site, it is probably best to click the NO button to not allow Java to run. By careful surfing and maintaining a good antivirus program, I have been able to remain virus free for the last 8 years. That is with using Java...
Read MoreHi everybody. Often times we get lots of things trying to update themselves on your computer. If you are not sure exactly what the update is, there are times that you might decide to simply pass and not do the update at all. In this column, we will discuss what is safe and what you should avoid. The first thing we are going to discuss are Windows security patches. Once a month on patch Tuesday, Microsoft issues a series of updates for all supported versions of Windows. Patch Tuesday usually falls on the second Tuesday of each month. The type and number of updates that are offered go by operating system and the number of security holes that have to be patched. Usually, these updates are safe to install but there are certain ones you might want to avoid. One of the types that we have seen the most problems with is the .net updates. As of late, these updates have been popping up even after they have been installed and sometimes they simply will not install at all. At present, I would have to advise against trying to install these updates. Another area we often see issues with are with updates for Office. We often see issues where the patches will not install as well. If you encounter an issue while trying to install any patches, it is probably a good idea not to try to force it is as problems with your Windows install could definitely be an issue. There are two products that you should update every time a new patch is offered they are Flash and Java. These two little gems are what allow you to view multi media items such as movies and slide shows. They also are required for playing many online games like Pogo and Zynga. The patches are usually offered to you automatically and always help to patch known security holes. Always allow these updates when you see them. Another product that offers security updates is Adobe Reader. Again, it is a good idea to keep this product patched so you can have the best security possible. Quick Time and Real Player will also offer security updates for their products. Since...
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