Apple release Java update to remove Flashback trojan

12 April, 2012 - Paul Dixon
Java update to remove Flashback trojan

Apple has just pushed out a Java update for OS X which removes the now notorious Flashback trojan from infected Macs. The update, which weighs in at 66.8 MB also disables the automatic execution of Java applets.

Release notes:

This Java security update removes the most common variants of the Flashback malware.

This update also configures the Java web plug-in to disable the automatic execution of Java applets. Users may re-enable automatic execution of Java applets using the Java Preferences application. If the Java web plug-in detects that no applets have been run for an extended period of time it will again disable Java applets.

This update is recommended for all Mac users with Java installed.

According to a report published last week by Russian anti-virus company Dr. Web, over 600,000 Macs are known to have been infected by the malware, which exploits a vulnerability in older versions of Java.

Look out for the update, Java for OS X 2012-003, in Software Update.

About the author

Paul Dixon is the owner of Macsessed. He lives in Lancashire in the UK where he works as a web designer. You can find him on and Twitter.