If you can read this, I need you to disable Java in your web browser, please

In case you haven’t seen the story making the rounds on Facebook and other mainstream media outlets, Java 7 has yet another critical security flaw. This one makes it really easy for hackers to take over your browser and steal your identity.

What to do about it:

Disable Java in your individual web browsers. (At least, the ones you actually use.)

You can also uninstall Java 7 completely from your computer, but if you do that, some of your offline software may not work properly. The current vulnerabilities stem from Java running in web browsers, so experts say simply disabling Java in your browser is enough.

But won’t that break everything?

No. I’ve had Java disabled in my web browsers for months now (ever since the last time Java had a critical security flaw that made it really easy for hackers to destroy my life), and after the first couple of days, I haven’t actually missed it.

Gizmodo has some easy-to-follow instructions for disabling Java here.

A final note

My headline makes it sound like you are only able to read this post through the wonder of Java, and that once you’ve disabled Java you won’t see this post any more. It would be marvelous if I were that skilled, but I’m not. I’m just a blogger who wants all my readers to surf the web wisely.

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