On January 10, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security subjected Oracle Corp.’s Java security problems to the public eye when it issued a rare alert concerning a vulnerability in Java software, warning that "web browsers using the Java 7 plug-in are at high risk." The browser add-on, which facilitates online activities such as playing interactive games and chatting with friends, warrants close scrutiny from those responsible for security at law firms.
On January 11, Reuters reported that "hackers have figured out how to exploit Java to install malicious software [to] commit crimes ranging from identity theft to making an infected computer part of an ad-hock network of computers that can be used to attack websites."
