Oracle released new Java security updates on Tuesday and announced plans to accelerate the release of future Java patches following recent attacks that have infected computers with malware by exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in Java browser plug-ins.
The new updates, Java 7 Update 15 and Java 6 Update 41, address five additional vulnerabilities that couldn't be included in the emergency Java update that Oracle released on 1 February due to time constraints. At the time, Oracle broke out of its scheduled 4-month Java patching cycle in order to patch a vulnerability that was being actively exploited by hackers.
Four of the five vulnerabilities addressed in the Tuesday updates can be exploited through Java Web Start applications on desktops and Java applets in Internet browsers, Eric Maurice, Oracle's director of software assurance, said Tuesday in a blog post.
