A few days ago a US security firm warned users that a new Java vulnerability could give hackers access to computers without much effort. In an attempt to solve the problem quickly and without too much negative publicity, those from Oracle and Apple launched during the last night updates for Java. Oracle released the updates through its own websites, Apple's offering Java for OS X 2013-001 through the Software Update system in iOS.
Java for OS X 2013-001 delivers improved security, reliability, and compatibility by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_41. On systems that have not already installed Java for OS X 2012-006, this update disables the Java SE 6 applet plug-in. To use applets on a web page, click on the region labeled "Missing plug-in" to download the latest version of the Java applet plug-in from Oracle.
Both updates are available for free and it is recommended to install them immediately.
