Update on the Java update

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Update on the Java update

Tom Johnson
Update on the update:

U.S. says Java still risky, even after security update
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/14/us-java-oracle-security-idUSBRE90D10P20130114

-tj


On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 4:57 PM, Marcus G. Daniels <[hidden email]> wrote:

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Re: Update on the Java update

Carl Tollander
My understanding is, the problem is with the 1.7 version plugin for the browsers.   Standalone JRE is ok.  OTOH, many folks have trouble with the disable java buttons or aren't clear on the distinction between the plugin and the runtime, so they're getting advice to uninstall it completely.   Which they may be unsuccessful at if they don't understand why they are getting the advice in the first place. 

I suspect there's a whole lot of background procurement politics and marketing FUD going on here as well.   Once you've raised an alert to orange, nobody wants to take responsibility for going back to yellow.

Carl

On 1/14/13 5:33 PM, Tom Johnson wrote:
Update on the update:

U.S. says Java still risky, even after security update
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/14/us-java-oracle-security-idUSBRE90D10P20130114

-tj


On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 4:57 PM, Marcus G. Daniels <[hidden email]> wrote:

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--
==========================================
J. T. Johnson
Institute for Analytic Journalism   --   Santa Fe, NM USA
505.577.6482(c)                                    505.473.9646(h)
Twitter: jtjohnson
http://www.jtjohnson.com                  [hidden email]
==========================================


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Re: Update on the Java update

Marcus G. Daniels
In reply to this post by Tom Johnson
On 1/14/13 5:33 PM, Tom Johnson wrote:
Update on the update:

U.S. says Java still risky, even after security update
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/14/us-java-oracle-security-idUSBRE90D10P20130114


Microsoft CLR has had similar problems..

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/MS10-060
http://www.dhses.ny.gov/ocs/advisories/2011/2011-040.cfm

In practice Microsoft and Apple have a streamlined and  automated update system.   Other than that (that JVMs and Java libraries are comparatively stale), I don't see any reason to think that the JVM ought to be more or less porous than the .NET CLR.

For example, I take scheduled operating system updates (whether it is Linux or Mac or Windows) right away, as well as browser updates (Firefox is pretty fast and basically automatic), but I am annoyed when Java wants to update, esp. on Windows where it is decoupled from O.S. updates, and sits in the notification area generally nagging me to take 10 minutes to do a heavy upgrade that I mostly don't need. 

So I claim that Sun/Oracle/Java is mostly guilty of failing to tightly integrate with desktop operating systems.  (Android not being desktop and it was not done directly by Oracle.)

Also Oracle is a victim of Java's success.  It's a successful platform for portable code deployment.  It's great that DHS and security companies just define that away as insignificant and gratuitous.

And this in contrast to C++ and C native code ABIs that can suffer buffer overrun exploits all over the place..?

Marcus


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Re: Update on the Java update

Douglas Roberts-2

Yes, of course. But what do you really think, Marcus?

On Jan 14, 2013 9:47 PM, "Marcus G. Daniels" <[hidden email]> wrote:
On 1/14/13 5:33 PM, Tom Johnson wrote:
Update on the update:

U.S. says Java still risky, even after security update
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/14/us-java-oracle-security-idUSBRE90D10P20130114


Microsoft CLR has had similar problems..

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/MS10-060
http://www.dhses.ny.gov/ocs/advisories/2011/2011-040.cfm

In practice Microsoft and Apple have a streamlined and  automated update system.   Other than that (that JVMs and Java libraries are comparatively stale), I don't see any reason to think that the JVM ought to be more or less porous than the .NET CLR.

For example, I take scheduled operating system updates (whether it is Linux or Mac or Windows) right away, as well as browser updates (Firefox is pretty fast and basically automatic), but I am annoyed when Java wants to update, esp. on Windows where it is decoupled from O.S. updates, and sits in the notification area generally nagging me to take 10 minutes to do a heavy upgrade that I mostly don't need. 

So I claim that Sun/Oracle/Java is mostly guilty of failing to tightly integrate with desktop operating systems.  (Android not being desktop and it was not done directly by Oracle.)

Also Oracle is a victim of Java's success.  It's a successful platform for portable code deployment.  It's great that DHS and security companies just define that away as insignificant and gratuitous.

And this in contrast to C++ and C native code ABIs that can suffer buffer overrun exploits all over the place..?

Marcus


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Re: Update on the Java update

Owen Densmore
Administrator
Shouldn't Javascript be the most insecure language .. simply due to it's ubiquity and different implementations in the various browsers and their versions?

Of course, from a complex systems standpoint, that could actually contribute to a kind of robustness!?  I suppose Java is a bit of a monoculture.

   -- Owen

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Re: Update on the Java update

Marcus G. Daniels
In reply to this post by Douglas Roberts-2
On 1/14/13 9:51 PM, Douglas Roberts wrote:
>
> Yes, of course. But what do you really think, Marcus?
>
The only thing that makes software safe in practice is a relentless
effort to fix bugs.  If bugs fail to come to light, software just won't
become secure.  If important packages aren't being talked about, they
are surely just waiting to be exploited once that packages gains the
fancy of security researchers (white or black hat).  Be glad that
something is good enough to be criticized.   If we did things right,
we'd prove aspects of important software to be correct in the first
place.  But that's believed to be too expensive and hard, so we get the
Tom Ridge thing instead.  Fun in its own way, I suppose.

Remember, the only `important thing' is that people perceive they are or
can be made safe.   Put some sirens on some cars and arrest a few people
and call it good.

Marcus

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