6 March 2008, 15:53

Java update fixes security vulnerabilities

The release of Java 6 Update 5 by Sun has plugged multiple security vulnerabilities, but the vendor has so far disclosed no details.

According to the release notes, the update also installs new root certificates from AOL, DigiCert and TrustCenter. As Sun's updates generally fix critical security vulnerabilities, users should install the latest versions of the runtime environment (JRE) or development kit (JDK) as soon as possible. Because the software still does not automatically uninstall previous versions when it is installed, users should do so manually after installing the update.

Sun has also released Update 15 for Java 5 and Update 17 for version 1.4.2. The updates include fixes for critical bugs including buffer overflows in the JavaScript ActiveX control and execution of arbitrary code by Java Web Start. Users of older versions of Java should therefore download and install the updates as soon as possible.