Tip #9 Flash, Reader, Java!
There are three main components that you need on your computer for a full browsing experience on the Internet today, besides the web browser itself. If you’re a typical user there’s a high chance you are already using them. Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, and Oracle’s Java Runtime Environment provide browser plug-in functionality that assist in displaying web pages that are rich in content, as well as giving you the ability to view PDF documents in a web format.
You’ve also probably noticed the fairly annoying update notifications for these software packages pop up on your computer each week. So, is it important to keep these up-to-date? Absolutely! Although it can be an arduous task in keeping these programs current, it’s extremely important that you do so since a good portion of the program updates are meant to patch security vulnerabilities. In fact, a lot of viruses and exploitation software out on the Internet today target these programs because of their widespread use.
Fortunate for us, Adobe and Oracle are trying to make it easier to keep these programs as current as possible. Flash now gives you the option to automatically update itself, while Reader and Java seem to be updating quicker.
As always, if you have any questions at all about your PC’s security or this article, feel free to contact Level Seven Computers!
Stay tuned next week for tip #10!