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In recent years, researchers have discovered numerous security flaws in some widely used Java implementations, including Oracle's, which allow untrusted code to bypass the sandboxing mechanism, exposing users to malicious attacks. These flaws affect only Java applications which execute arbitrary untrusted bytecode, such as web browser plug-ins that run Java applets downloaded from public websites. Applications where the user trusts, and has full control over, all code that is being executed are unaffected.

On August 31, 2012, Java 6 and 7 (both supported back then) on Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux were found to have a serious security flaw that allowed a remote exploit to take place by simply loading a malicious web page.cite-ref-113[113] Java 5 was later found to be flawed as well.cite-ref-114[114]

On January 10, 2013, three computer specialists spoke out against Java, telling Reuters that it was not secure and that people should disable Java. Jaime Blasco, Labs Manager with AlienVault Labs, stated that "Java is a mess. It's not secure. You have to disable it."cite-ref-115[115] This vulnerability affects Java 7 and it is unclear if it affects Java 6, so it is suggested that consumers disable it.cite-ref-116[116]cite-ref-117[117] Security alerts from Oracle announce schedules of critical security-related patches to Java.cite-ref-118[118]

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