How to Disable Java in Your Browser
English: A diagram explaining the Java Runtime Environment and how Java code can be “written once and run everywhere”. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Due to the severity of a security hole in the newest version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned users to disable Java on their systems until such time as the hole can be patched.
Here’s how to disable Java on your computer and protect yourself.
Windows
In Windows, Java settings are based in the Control Panel, and can be disabled from running in the browser.
To begin disabling Java in Windows, go to Start and enter the Control Panel.
Once you are at the Control Panel:
Select All Control Panel Items view option.
Then go to Java (32/64-bit) and this will load up the appropriate settings.
Once you are in the Java Control Panel, you can now disable the software from running in your browser.
Hit the Security tab.
On the Security settings, uncheck the box saying Enable Java content in the browser.
Hit Apply then OK.
You have now disabled Java in Windows.
Mac
To disable Java in Mac OS X, follow these instructions.
Go to the Apple symbol () in the menu bar.
Select System Preferences.
On System Preferences, type in Java and select the highlighted panel.
A new window will appear warning you that the Java settings need to be opened in a new console. This will open. Then the steps are the same as with Windows, here they are again:
Hit the Security tab.
On the Security settings, uncheck the box saying Enable Java content in the browser.
Hit Apply then OK.
You have now disabled Java in OS X.
If you feel that just disabling Java isn’t enough for you and you want to uninstall it here are some links to instructions on how to do just that.
Uninstalling Java from Windows
Related articles
- Another Java exploit; disable immediately (avast.com)
- What Is Java, Is It Insecure, and Should I Use It? (lifehacker.com)
- Do you need to uninstall Java to be safe from its vulnerabilities? (reviews.cnet.com)
- Yet another new zero-day Java vulnerability is found, and this one is being exploited in-the-wild (dottech.org)
- How to Safely Keep Java in Your Web Browser (mashable.com)
- New malware exploiting Java 7 in Windows and Unix systems (reviews.cnet.com)
