Update, Jan 10, 10:35 a.m. ET: The latest version of Java 7 (Update 10) includes a feature that makes it simpler to unplug Java from the browser.

When people talk about Java being insecure, they're talking about the browser plug-in. Java apps themselves aren't inherently insecure, it's the browser plug-in that causes problems.

Java isn’t good for your for your computer’s health right now. It can mess it up pretty bad. Bad enough that the Department of Homeland Security is warning us all to turn it off.

Below are instructions for unplugging Java from whatever Web browser you may use to surf the Web. These instructions were originally posted as a how-to in response to this piece: Zero-Day Java ...

IMPORTANT: The article below was written in August 2012, in response to a security scare involving Java. Although that particular scare has now passed for users who have kept their Java installation ...

With a new attack that targets a security vulnerability in Oracle's Java spreading through the hacker underground and no available fix in sight, it may be time for users to deal with the plugin's ...