Java Patches to Finally Uninstall Old Versions

Sun is going to finally do their part to keep criminals off your computers. Their newest patches are going to uninstall the old vulnerable versions.

Last year, I wrote here:

Just because you have updated a program does not always mean you are no longer vulnerable. Usually when a new version is installed, the old one is removed or overwritten in the computer. This is not true with Java. I was nailed with a nasty piece of malware that took advantage of a two-year old version of Java that was still on my laptop. It turns out that you have to manually remove your old Java versions to stay secure. The updater won’t do it for you, and hackers know this. They can write exploits that only call the old versions, and if its still on your computer, they’ve got you.

Up until now, Sun has claimed that the reason they don’t uninstall old versions is because it could cause stability and compatibility issues with older java applications.  So did they just produce a fully backwards compatible version?  Or just stop using the excuse?