Oracle’s Java is a cross-platform programming framework technology that is widely used especially by open source developers. Android operating system that has become the most popular mobile operating system in the world derives its magic from Java. The benefits of using Java for developments are manifold, including the ability to run the same program in different operating systems. But because of Java’s popularity, the cyber criminals of all sorts have now started to target some of the known vulnerabilities in it. The only way to stay protected from older Java JRE related vulnerabilities is to keep your copy of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) updated to the latest version.
But before you go hogwild and start downloading a new copy of JRE to be installed on your PC, you should first find our whether you really need an update, or whether your installed copy is up-to-date? There are many different ways to determine if you are using the latest version of JRE. The easiest of these is juts to visit the website of Oracle Java at https://www.java.com/verify/ and click on the Agree and Continue button.
If you have recently installed Java JRE, then you must first close all the open web browser windows and then launch a new browser window, before visiting the Java website. In a short while, you will be shown if you are running the latest version of Java in your PC or if you have an older, vulnerable version installed.
In case, it detects an out-of-date copy of JRE in your PC, then you must either remove the Java completely from your system or download and install a fresh copy from the Java website. You can go to http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/ to find the latest version of the JRE setup installer. It offers both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of JRE and you can install either based on your system architecture.