Oracle Java 7 Security Vulnerability

National Cyber Awareness System

US-CERT Alert TA13-010A
Oracle Java 7 Security Manager Bypass Vulnerability

Original release date: January 10, 2013

Systems Affected

Any system using Oracle Java 7 (1.7, 1.7.0) including

• Java Platform Standard Edition 7 (Java SE 7)
• Java SE Development Kit (JDK 7)
• Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE 7)

All versions of Java 7 through update 10 are affected. Web browsers using the Java 7 plug-in are at high risk.

Best Practices

The Guerrilla Manual advises: Best practices are an admission of failure (last item in Section 1). As Wittgenstein said: "Just because we all agree on something, doesn't make it right."

Guerrilla graduate Scott J., sent me the following cartoon by Scott Adams, which offers a Dilbert profundity on the same topic.



For me, the punch line IS the 2nd frame. You may need to click on the strip to see the Dilbert punch line in the 3rd frame.

Best Practices Are An Admission of Failure

Six Sigma: Quite a list.

ITIL: Best Practice is defined as "good working practice developed through consensus that helps organizations to achieve better performance.”

Sounds good, but ...

Ludwig Wittgenstein: "Just because we all agree on something, doesn't make it true."

Therefore ...

Guerrilla Manual 1.21: Best Practice is tantamount to not trying to understand the problem. Merely copying someone else's apparent success is like cheating on a test. You might make the grade, but how far is the bluff going to take you?

So ...

Thomas Edison: "There's a better way. Find it!"