It’s been awhile since Apple shipped its Macintosh computers with Adobe Flash or Java installed. In the last few weeks we’ve been reminded of why: Both technologies are prone to security vulnerabilities. Indeed, these most recent bits of malware code could allow a hacker to take over your Mac. (Or, to be fair, your Windows PC. Because Flash and Java are cross-platform, Windows is just as susceptible. iOS devices—iPhone, iPad, iPad Touch—are immune.)
If you run Adobe Flash, you should make certain that your system is running the latest version (as of this writing, that’s 11.6.602.167. Your Mac needs to be running Mac OS X 10.6 or later to use the latest version of Adobe Flash. Users of earlier Mac OS X operating systems should disable Flash entirely or upgrade their OS.
With Java, you will want to download any Java-related security updates you find in Apple’s Software Updates. We recommend that you also disable Java in your web browser unless it’s essential to something you’re doing online. (In Safari, go to Preferences > Security and uncheck the “Enable Java” box. Note that Javascript is a different technology and should remain enabled.)
As always, if you have security-related concerns or questions, please contact MacAtoZ to schedule a remote support session or an in-person consultation.