A new version of Java 8 was released recently i.e., Java 8 Update 261. A total of 11 vulnerabilities have been fixed in this version of Java. All of the vulnerabilities can be exploited remotely without authentication. So you should update your Java 8 installation to the latest version as soon as possible.
Oracle has changed Java Runtime license so that it is free for use only for non-commercial and personal usage. You will need to accept the license agreement before installing Java on your computer.
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Quick facts
- Latest Java Version: Java 8 Update 261b12
- Release date: July 14th, 2020
- Last stable version: Java 8 Update 251
- Compatible OS: Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7, macOS
- License: Free
Please note that Java 8 only runs on Internet Explorer as a browser extension.
New features and bug fixes
Java 8 Update 261 comes with the following updates:
- JDK/JRE Runtime Windows Visual Studio Library dependency changes. The Update 261 uses Visual Studio 2017 tool chain. As a result, some of the apps that were working before update 261 may stop working.
- The latest Java 8 update includes TLS 1.3 implementation as vulnerable versions of SSL (1.0, 1.1) are being retired globally.
- Java 8 now supports TLS FFDHE mechanism for TLS authentication.
You can read the complete change log in the release notes here.
Here is the list of Oracle Java SE risk matrix that gives details about each vulnerability like affected Java version, affected component of Java, the type of exploit possible and its scope. (You may click on the image to make it bigger)
You can read more about this matrix here.
How do I update my Java Runtime Environment to version 8 Update 261?
You can determine your currently installed Java version by visiting this webpage.
Updating to the latest version is quite easy. But if you want to know what version of Java is installed on your computer, you can follow our tutorial about Java here.
But if you want to download the latest version of Java, you can use the following links. These links will point you to Java 8 Update 261 offline installer downloads.
- Go to Oracle Java download page.
- Under the Java SE Runtime Environment 8u261 section, you will see a list of products.
- Click on the Download icon beside your desired product.
- Accept the license agreement. Your download should start right away.
All downloads on this page are offline installers.
Conclusion
While it’s very important to update to Java 8 Update 261 as soon as possible, some users on Twitter and Reddit complained that their old programs stopped working after updating to the latest version of Java.
You should create a restore point before updating and contact the program vendors if the programs stop working as after sometime, your version of Java will invalidate itself and stop working if not updated.
