Apple may be stepping up its efforts to push out Java updates faster, even though Oracle has largely swooped in to take care of Mac users by issuing security fixes. The two companies released simultaneous Java updates for 10.7 Lion and 10.6 Snow Leopard on Tuesday, signaling that the two-month delay associated with the spread of Flashback malware could be a thing of the past.
Oracle offered slightly more detail than Apple about what has been included in the latest Java updates. The company says it's a critical patch that contains 14 new security fixes, 12 of which "may be remotely exploitable without authentication." That is, they most likely can spread over a network without the need for an admin password from the user, just like Flashback.
Apple has been sharply criticized for being slow to update users when there are critical security patches available for Java. The Flashback debacle highlighted the potential effects of such behavior, leading Oracle to start releasing Java updates directly to Mac users at the same time as Linux and Windows.
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