Apple has released a security update for the Apple-supported Java runtime for OS X, which many users have installed on their systems. Java for OS X is available for Apple's latest three OS X releases starting with Snow Leopard. The update should be available through Apple's Software Update service (in the Apple menu).

This update was released by Oracle last week to tackle a few outstanding vulnerabilities (separate from those recently found in its latest Java 7 runtime), but since Java 6 for OS X is maintained and distributed by Apple, OS X users have had to wait until Apple issued the update.

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• New vulnerabilities found in latest Java update
• Q&A: MacFixIt Answers
• Oracle patches Java 7 vulnerability

Apple has released one updater for OS X 10.6 and one for OS X 10.7 or later that will bring the Java 6 runtime installation in OS X systems up to the latest version, version 1.6_35.

If you use Software Update to update your system then you do not need t... [Read more]

Still not crazy about the Windows 8 Start screen? A new app helps you avoid it entirely by taking you directly to the desktop.

Sold by a company named Thinix, RetroUI breezes right past the Windows 8 Start screen to deliver you to the desktop. You can still choose to open the Start screen and other Windows 8 UI features, or you can disable them entirely so that the Charms bar, hot corners, and other Win 8 elements are inaccessible.

The software costs $4.95. But you can try before you buy via a 14-day fully functional trial version. And that's just what I did.

Installing RetroUI sets up a shortcut on your Windows 8 desktop called RetroUI Settings. Double-clicking that shortcut opens a window where you can configure the program.

The first option sends you to the Windows desktop after you log in, while the second option takes you to the desktop from the Lock screen. In both cases, you can still access the Start screen and other Windows 8 features through the hot corners and Charms bar.

The third option disables the entire Windows 8 environment after you log in. That includes the Start screen, Charms bar, and hot corners. All such features become inaccessible via keyboard, mouse, or touch, rendering the Windows 8 UI persona non grata. The problem here is that the Start menu is still missing in action on the desktop, so yo... [Read more]

The new, touch-friendly interface for AVG 2013.

Microsoft is forcing everybody to rethink the operating system that everybody loves to hate with Windows 8, and that includes security suite makers. Freeware faves AVG leap into the future today with a touch-friendly interface, a zippy installation, and impressively fast scans.

The upgrades are available at no cost as AVG Anti-Virus Free 2013 (download), or as a paid update to AVG Anti-Virus 2013 (download) and AVG Internet Security 2013 (download), exclusively from Download.com today.

Security vendor claims about being faster, or better, or able to protect your computer while doing your dishes, are perennial boasts. At least in the case of AVG 2013, CNET Labs has verified the company's talk about the 2013's performance gains. For our usual battery of tests, we found that AVG Anti-Virus Free 2013 actually bested an unprotected computer during the MS Office test. AVG Free completed the MS Office test in 354 seconds, while the unprotected computer took 395 seconds.

When I asked AVG e... [Read more]

Norton 2013's new interface, optimized for Windows 8.

Symantec's annual Norton security suite delivers an interface optimized for Windows 8, but its new features address the mobile and social implications of the era arriving with the new operating system at the end of October.

The new features in Norton Anti-Virus 2013 (download), Norton Internet Security 2013 (download), and Norton 360 2013 (download), aim squarely to cut down on social engineering threats like scams and phishing attacks.

Windows 8 is already gaining a reputation as the safest version of Windows to date, but this doesn't surprise Gerry Egan, Norton's senior product manager. "Each time Microsoft updates Windows, it has raised the bar on security features," he said, but added, "We don't see anything obvious in Windows 8 that decreases the attack surface. Out of the starting gate, we're not seeing a lot in terms of the impact of the changes made to make it more secure."

Symantec's efforts, he said, have been focused on reducing the ways that the bad guys can get to you. The new Scam Insight takes browsing data from... [Read more]