Help on determining Java

You don't need to delete Java. Just make sure it's disabled in your browser until you're on a trusted site that requires it. Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for this and tips on practicing safe computing.

 

I actually disagree and say that you *do* need to delete Java. It is absolutely possible to have installed and run multiple versions of Java. In fact, that is more of a feature that they have than a bug. So if you have a vulnerable version of Java installed, you could theoretically install the update that contains the fix, and still have a vulnerable version and fixed version on your machine, because the patched version will be in a different directory tree altogether. All it would take to switch between versions is changing the path to java, or the $JAVA_HOME variable.

To play it completely safe, I would say to delete/uninstall the vulnerable version of Java and then install the patched version.

Also, running a 'java -version' may come in handy, because the Java 7 vulnerability doesn't appear to be present in Java 6, though Oracle will stop committing updates to Java 6 sometime this year, leaving whatever vulnerabilities it has completely open forever.

BL.