You may have recently heard or read about a new wide-spread exploit concerning Java in mainstream media outlets. LIS is aware of this risk. The major systems used by the College that depend upon Java (e.g. Banner, Hyperion, Nolij, Famis) use an earlier version of Java and are not vulnerable to this exploit. This vulnerability impacts Java 7 update 6 and possibly other versions of Java 7; Java 6 and below are not vulnerable to this exploit.
Java is used for many different applications and you should be thoughtful about your actions before patching, upgrading or removing your version of Java. While Oracle has released a patch for the current vulnerability it has also opened up a new loophole to a known older vulnerability.
Our advice at this time is to NOT update or patch your Java client to version 7. If your Java client has already been updated or patched to version 7, please remove Java completely from your Mac or Windows computer, and then visit http://java.com/en/download/manual_v6.jsp to reinstall version 6. If you are not sure what version of Java you are running you may visit this URL to verify, http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp.
LIS continues to remain vigilant in safeguarding our critical systems. If you have questions or concerns regarding this post, please contact infosec@middlebury.edu.