Posted by Ed Cordes on January 14, 2013 at 8:33 PM
Here is a link to the USA Homeland Security site explaining a vulnerability of JAVA. http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA13-010A.html The "emergency" update Oracle distributed last night is apparently not enough to protect you. So, DHS is suggesting that JAVA be disabled.
Posted by Lon Overacker on January 14, 2013 at 9:00 PM
There indeed may be vulnerabilities in Java, among many other things on our computers. It's very unfortunate because Java IS EVERYWHERE! NPN's navigation won't run without it. My email doesn't work without it, My website is designed to error out if Java isn't enabled - I have Java scripts for my navigation. One can go in and create exceptions in their security/privacy settings in your various browsers - but then what's the point? You're vulnerable again.
Between a rock and a hard place. grrrrrr
Posted by Ed Cordes on January 14, 2013 at 9:30 PM
Lon, you are correct, this is terrible as JAVA is, as you say, everywhere. Hopefully the publicity generated will push Oracle to come up with a better security solution. Since I now have it disabled I won't get the auto Oracle update so I will have to check in now and then.
NPN Does Not use Java. It uses Java Script, I think. They are two different languages. Java is an executable language that runs within a Java Virtual Machine on your computer. In order for Java Applets to run, Java must be installed on your computer's browser even if the applets themselves are called by a website.
This bug does not affect Java Applets that are installed and run locally on your computer, laptop, or a server. It only affects Java that is installed on browsers.
Java Script is a cross-platform scripting language akin to PhP. These scripts reside on the website, and the interpreter runs on the server sending the result to the client browser. This is called server-side scripting. And Lon, your site uses Java Script and works perfectly, btw, even though I do not have Java installed on my machine; so does NPN.
Personally, I have had no issues with websites not working properly. Still, if you do have Java installed, you should turn it off for now. Apparently, Oracle has issued a patch, but security researchers are still advising caution.
--P
Posted by Richard Ditch on January 14, 2013 at 10:55 PM
It's very unfortunate because Java IS EVERYWHERE! NPN's navigation won't run without it.
That's news to me. I've had Java disabled in Safari on my Mac for quite some time and yet I have no problem using NPN navigation. Are you thinking about Javascript instead?
Posted by Richard Ditch on January 14, 2013 at 10:59 PM
Strange: My comment above contains the word "j a v a s c r i p t" without spaces in the last sentence but it doesn't sghow up in my posted comment. I even re-edited it and posted again with the same result.
Posted by Lon Overacker on January 15, 2013 at 12:06 AM
Richard,
From your screenshot, you still have "enable <JavaScript>" enabled. If you uncheck that, I'm pretty sure NPN's navigation won't work. I don't know enough to know the difference between plain "Java" and JavaScript, but I imagine they're interrelated. The warnings indicate JRE v7 and above (I believe that's "Java Runtime Environment"), I'm just not sure where plain Java and Javascript reside.
frickin' computers and the internet.
Posted by Lon Overacker on January 15, 2013 at 12:09 AM
Woah! this is too frickin' weird. Richard said he typed the work j a v a s c r i p t and it didn't show in his post.... well, you can see in my post above "enable " What I typed was: "enable j a v a s c r i p t" (minus all the spaces) and it did NOT print the word. that, my friends is freaky deaky.
From your screenshot, you still have "enable " enabled. If you uncheck that, I'm pretty sure NPN's navigation won't work.
That's true. If you disable "Java Script" NPN will not work properly because it uses Java Script.
I don't know enough to know the difference between plain "Java" and , but I imagine they're interrelated.
No, they are not. Java is a run-time executable, and Java Script is a scripting language. Please read my first post again.
The reason 'java script' (without the spaces and quotes) does not appear in your posts is because the text is a html tag, and html will not be recognized if it's typed into NPN's posting textboxes.
--P
Posted by Lon Overacker on January 15, 2013 at 12:57 AM
Thanks Preston - leave it to a guy with all his faculties in place..... just to be sure though, Java and Java Script are interrelated in the sense that they both belong to Oracle, formerly SUN.
The html reference makes sense, however that should only apply if you put the text between "<" and ">" I can type the words i b a img ul, etc. and these will not disappear. I'll delete this immediately if this doesn't work, but I should also be able to type javascript.
Posted by Lon Overacker on January 15, 2013 at 1:01 AM
ok PB, pls 'splain that one. I typed "....also able to type j a v a s c r i p t ." which is an html tag, as you pointed out. So is i, b, a img, ul, etc. I'm sure there is an explanation, but again, in order to be recognized as html tags you either use the "carrot brackets" or "[ ]" brackets. Just typing the text should not distinguish between "i" and "java space script"
Posted by Mark Stahlke on January 15, 2013 at 1:12 AM
Java is not the same thing as javascript. Also, the big difference between php and javascript is that php is executed on the server side and javascript is executed on the client side.
Mostly, I just wanted to see if javascript appears in this post.
[Edit: I see the word j a v a s c r i p t does not show up in this post.]
Posted by John Tobias on January 15, 2013 at 10:48 AM
Sorry folks, I don't understand what you are talking about. Would not Oracle send out a warning/info e-mail? Why or how did the warning from HLS show up? I have not seen anything and have Java. Also, yesterday I got a phone call from some one who did not identify herself with a warning about a world wide virus on my computer? Sounded very odd. Very confused!
LOS ANGELES — Oracle Corp. said Monday it has released a fix for the flaw in its Java software that raised an alarm from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week. Even after the patch was issued, the federal agency continued to recommend that users disable Java in their Web browsers.
I disabled the Java in Firefox last week and had no issues with NPN usage, as Preston has pointed out the differences between the two programs.
ok PB, pls 'splain that one. I typed "....also able to type j a v a s c r i p t ." which is an html tag, as you pointed out. So is i, b, a img, ul, etc. I'm sure there is an explanation, but again, in order to be recognized as html tags you either use the "carrot brackets" or "[ ]" brackets. Just typing the text should not distinguish between "i" and "java space script"
I figured I'd have some 'splainin' to do. But you know what? I don't have a clue. I wish I did! Maybe Jim's programmer will see this and enlighten us?
Also, the big difference between php and "java_script" is that php is executed on the server side and is executed on the client side.
Thanks, Mark. I always thought that java script was server-side like php or Asp.net. I stand corrected. It's been a while since I delved into these things in detail.
--P
Posted by Lon Overacker on January 15, 2013 at 2:53 PM
One thing I guess I should have remembered and point out was that the code for this specific forum page is customized. In other words, we as users are allowed a very limited number of html tags, and even those are custom, specific for these comment boxes, like bold for example.
Now that I think about it, that java word is probably specifically keyed and searched for, for the expressed purpose of not allowing that html code to run on this site and specifically in this comment box.
Discussion
16 repliesThere indeed may be vulnerabilities in Java, among many other things on our computers. It's very unfortunate because Java IS EVERYWHERE! NPN's navigation won't run without it. My email doesn't work without it, My website is designed to error out if Java isn't enabled - I have Java scripts for my navigation. One can go in and create exceptions in their security/privacy settings in your various browsers - but then what's the point? You're vulnerable again.
Between a rock and a hard place. grrrrrr
NPN Does Not use Java. It uses Java Script, I think. They are two different languages. Java is an executable language that runs within a Java Virtual Machine on your computer. In order for Java Applets to run, Java must be installed on your computer's browser even if the applets themselves are called by a website.
This bug does not affect Java Applets that are installed and run locally on your computer, laptop, or a server. It only affects Java that is installed on browsers.
Java Script is a cross-platform scripting language akin to PhP. These scripts reside on the website, and the interpreter runs on the server sending the result to the client browser. This is called server-side scripting. And Lon, your site uses Java Script and works perfectly, btw, even though I do not have Java installed on my machine; so does NPN.
Personally, I have had no issues with websites not working properly. Still, if you do have Java installed, you should turn it off for now. Apparently, Oracle has issued a patch, but security researchers are still advising caution.
--P
That's news to me. I've had Java disabled in Safari on my Mac for quite some time and yet I have no problem using NPN navigation. Are you thinking about Javascript instead?
From your screenshot, you still have "enable <JavaScript>" enabled. If you uncheck that, I'm pretty sure NPN's navigation won't work. I don't know enough to know the difference between plain "Java" and JavaScript, but I imagine they're interrelated. The warnings indicate JRE v7 and above (I believe that's "Java Runtime Environment"), I'm just not sure where plain Java and Javascript reside.
frickin' computers and the internet.
That's true. If you disable "Java Script" NPN will not work properly because it uses Java Script.
No, they are not. Java is a run-time executable, and Java Script is a scripting language. Please read my first post again.
The reason 'java script' (without the spaces and quotes) does not appear in your posts is because the text is a html tag, and html will not be recognized if it's typed into NPN's posting textboxes.
--P
The html reference makes sense, however that should only apply if you put the text between "<" and ">" I can type the words i b a img ul, etc. and these will not disappear. I'll delete this immediately if this doesn't work, but I should also be able to type javascript.
Mostly, I just wanted to see if javascript appears in this post.
[Edit: I see the word j a v a s c r i p t does not show up in this post.]
LOS ANGELES — Oracle Corp. said Monday it has released a fix for the flaw in its Java software that raised an alarm from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week. Even after the patch was issued, the federal agency continued to recommend that users disable Java in their Web browsers.
I disabled the Java in Firefox last week and had no issues with NPN usage, as Preston has pointed out the differences between the two programs.
I figured I'd have some 'splainin' to do. But you know what? I don't have a clue. I wish I did! Maybe Jim's programmer will see this and enlighten us?
Thanks, Mark. I always thought that java script was server-side like php or Asp.net. I stand corrected. It's been a while since I delved into these things in detail.
--P
Now that I think about it, that java word is probably specifically keyed and searched for, for the expressed purpose of not allowing that html code to run on this site and specifically in this comment box.
Mystery solved.