Most business networks riddled with vulnerable Java installations, report says - bishoplonswellot

Despite the significant Java security improvements successful by Oracle during the past six months, Java vulnerabilities continue to represent a major security put on the line for organizations because most of them have outdated versions of the software program installed happening their systems, reported to a report by security firm Bit9.

Bit9's report was released Thursday and is based on data almost Java usage assembled from approximately 1 million enterprise endpoint systems owned by almost 400 organizations that use the keep company's software repute service.

The data shows that Coffee 6 is the most rife major variation of Java in enterprise environments, present on much 80 percent of enterprise computers that have Java installed.

Java 6 reached the last of public support in April, and only Oracle customers with a semipermanent support contract will continue to receive surety updates for it. Java 7, the version that is the sharpen of Seer's late security strengthening efforts, was only institute on more or less 15 percent of endpoint systems sampled by Bit9.

Furthermore, near companies that run Java 6 connected their systems don't have the latest security updates for it, the security firm base.

The most widely deployed Java translation, according to Bit9's data, was Java 6 Update 20, which was installed on a little over 9 percent of endpoints. This version of Java is vulnerable to a total of 215 security issues, 96 of which take up the maximum impact score on the Common Vulnerability Marking System of rules (CVSS) weighing machine, Bit9 same.

The last publicly available security update for Java 6 is Java 6 Update 45, which was released in Apr at the same clock as Java 7 Update 21, the latest adaptation of Java available when Bit9 concentrated information for its write up.

But 3 percent of enterprisingness endpoint systems were running Java 7 Update 21, the company aforesaid. Even so, those endpoints belonged to only 0.25 percent of the sampled organizations, which seems to indicate that organizations with a larger number of endpoints are more likely to give the latest interpretation of Java installed on their systems.

Some other outcome is that many enterprise systems take up ten-fold versions of Java pouring on them. Around 42 percent of systems had more than two versions of Java installed concurrently, and approximately 20 percent had to a higher degree three versions.

According to Bit9's report, on ordinary, organizations have more than 50 distinct versions of Java installed in their environments. Roughly 5 percent of organizations give Sir Thomas More than 100 versions.

This trouble mainly stems from how the Java installation and updating process deals with older versions.

The Java 7 updater will attempt to remove existing installations of Java 6, but a clean installation of Coffee 7 won't remove older versions, said Harry Sverdlove, Bit9's foreman technology officeholder. Java 5 versions are non separate during Java 7's installation operating room update processes, He said.

The Bit9 data showed that 93 pct of organizations have got a version of Java on some of their systems that's at to the lowest degree fivesome years old. Fifty-one percent have a rendering that's between Phoebe and 10 years old.

The problem with having five-fold versions of Coffee installed at the same time happening a system is that attackers can target the older and vulnerable versions to hack into that computer. Erst that happens, the security of the newer Java versions doesn't help.

Code that enumerates all Java versions installed on a system for reconnaissance purposes has already been seen in real attacks, Bit9 said in the theme.

Having different Java versions on a system increases usability because customers can run bequest applications, but from a security linear perspective it's a nightmare, Sverdlove said. Every version that is installed introduces yet another set of known vulnerabilities that attackers can object, he same.

Sverdlove compared the plac of companies jetting five-to-10-year-old versions of Java to running Windows 95. This practice might Be spacious for compatibility reasons, but it's a horrible security risk, He said.

In most cases, this sort of Java reading fragmentation inside enterprise environments is credibly not even intentional, as more companies don't understand or keep track of how many versions they have installed, Sverdlove said.

First and foremost, organizations should get an assessment of what Java versions they have in their environments and where, Sverdlove aforementioned. The next step should represent for them, as a matter of security policy, to stop and seriously consider whether they motivation Java, and if they ut, for what purposes, he said.

The results of this assessment will change among organizations, Sverdlove said. Some companies might find that a particular version of Java is needed to run legacy applications, but only on certain computers. Others power discover that indisputable websites that require Java work with the latest version of the software, and some might find that Java is only needed on their servers and not on desktops, he said.

Regardless of their individual Java needs, organizations should create a Java deployment policy and enforce it, Sverdlove said. If their policy is to non have Java, then they should use of goods and services tools to block it from operative; if they determine that they only ask Java on certain machines, and so they should remove information technology from every last other machines, he aforementioned.

The most common elbow room for hackers to attack Java installations is finished the software system's Browser plug-ins by using exploits hosted on websites.

The Bit9 report did not stop specific information about how many of the Java installations known on enterprise endpoints were accessible through the Web browsers on those computers. However, the absolute majority of the sampled endpoint systems were desktops and laptops, so the likeliness of those Java installations being exposed to Web attacks is high, Sverdlove said.

Updated 7/18/13 at 11:50 A.M ET to correct a percentage erroneous belief in the 9th paragraph.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/452944/most-enterprise-networks-riddled-with-vulnerable-java-installations-report-says.html

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