Chances are you’ve seen this relentless message pop up on your screen a time or two. When you see a window like this for jucheck.exe, it means that the Java updater is trying to run. Java is a programming platform that some developers use to write their software. When it gets out of date, it tries to inform you that a new version is available.
It’s necessary to keep Java updated to stay protected against a host of malware and other attacks from the internet. You should always have the latest version installed, so it’s actually a good thing to see this window appear on your screen. As annoying as it may be sometimes, it’s actually doing its job to protect you.
With that said, I would not recommend clicking the “Yes” button. Chances are, it really is what it says it is. But being security conscious sometimes means being a paranoid nut who thinks everyone’s out to get you. While the program is probably legitimate, there’s always a tiny chance that it could be a malicious program masquerading as something benign.
Instead, when you see this window, I would recommend clicking the “No” button then going to the official site and downloading the new version of Java manually. This will prevent falling victim to any possible phishing attacks that are trying to get you to click on something malicious.
The computer security journalist and researcher, Brian Krebs, has three basic rules for online safety that I live by. They are:
- If you didn’t go looking for it, don’t install it
- If you installed it, update it
- If you no longer need it, remove it
So, keeping in line with rule #1, if you didn’t request that jucheck.exe or Java Updater should run, then don’t allow it to. Go to the site and do it yourself. This may seem like overkill to many people, but when you’ve been at war as long as me, you’ll realize it’s these little bits of paranoia that allow you to keep on fighting another day.
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