Apple Blocks Java 7 Plugin on OS X to Address Widespread Security Threat

Eric Slivka, Mac Rumors:

Apple has, however, apparently already moved quickly to address the issue, disabling the Java 7 plug-in on Macs where it is already installed. Apple has achieved this by updating its “Xprotect.plist” blacklist to require a minimum of an as-yet unreleased 1.7.0_10-b19 version of Java 7. With the current publicly-available version of Java 7 being 1.7.0_10-b18, all systems running Java 7 are failing to pass the check initiated through the anti-malware system built into OS X.

Most recent Macs probably don’t even have Java installed, but it’s pretty clever that Apple can blacklist vulnerable versions remotely.

★ Friday, 11 January 2013