Sun releases Java security fixes

SUN MICROSYSTEMS HAS RELEASED updates to both the Java SE development kit and runtime environments.

JDK 6 Update 15 and JRE 6 Update 15 both include support for Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, Windows Server 2008 SP2, and Windows Vista SP2.

New features include the G1 garbage collector and there are a raft of performance enhancements and security fixes as well as an update to the way the software deals with international timezone data.

Seven new root certificates have been added to the release and the blacklist entries have been updated. The blacklist feature, first seen in update 14, blocks certain signed jars that contain serious security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by untrusted applets or applications. It will refuse to load any class or resource contained in a jar file that's on the blacklist.

The update plugs 27 security vulnerabilities, including one where it was possible for remote sites to compromise user privacy and possibly hijack web sessions, and another which allowed read access to system properties from untrusted code.

Another ten bugs not considered to be security sensitive have also been patched.

L'Inq
Sun Microsystems