The Washington Post ran an article this morning reporting that Oracle, the company that supplies Java, has provided a patch to plug the recent security holes. However, experts warn that problems still remain with the software, and that the safest thing to do is remove Java from your computer. See: http://wapo.st/VfpPtR.
Mac users can disable Java by these instructions:
You can disable Java on your Mac OS X machine by going to Applications/Utilities/Java Preferences, and on the general preferences tab uncheck any versions of Java listed there. Here is more information and instructions: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57408841-263/how-to-check-for-and-disable-java-in-os-x/
Windows users can uninstall Java using the following instructions: http://bit.ly/UNvB2Z
A reader just sent in the following information for Windows usersregarding the Java patch:
Here’s some info that Internet Explorer users should know about a security patch Microsoft issued last night:
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/01/14/microsoft-pre-announces-ie-zeroday-patch/
The most interesting thing to note: this patch applies only to IE 6, 7 & 8, because IE 9 & 10 are not vulnerable to the attack because they have much-improved security. Anyone still running IE 6-8 for whatever reason should seriously consider upgrading.