A recent Java 7 update allows users to completely prevent Java applications from running inside browsers or to restrict how Web-based Java content is handled by the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) client. These features will benefit security-conscious users, but companies still have to find methods of isolating older Java versions, security experts say.
Java 7 Update 10 (7u10), released on Dec. 11, does not address any security vulnerabilities, but provides several security enhancements. According to its
release notes, the new version provides users with "the ability to disable any Java application from running in the browser." This can be done from the "Security" tab on the Java control panel by clearing the "enable Java content in the browser" checkbox.