<p>Apple (AAPL) joined a growing list of technology companies that already includes Facebook (FB) and Twitter hit by recent cyber attacks. Apple, in a statement Tuesday, wrote that it "has identified malware which infected a limited number of Mac systems through a vulnerability in the Java plug-in for browsers. There is no evidence that any data left Apple."</p><p>There are conflicting reports of the origin of the attacks in each of these cases, with speculation that the culprits sat in China, Russia or even Eastern Europe. But the common denominator in all of the attacks is the abuse of Java software an the entry point into internal systems.</p><p>Last week, Facebook revealed it had been the target of a sophisticated attack. It, like Apple, found that Oracle's Java software was exploited. It wrote: "After analyzing the compromised website where the attack originated, we found it was using a 'zero-day' (previously unseen) exploit to bypass the Java sandbox (built-in protections) to install the malware. We immediately reported the exploit to Oracle, and they confirmed our findings and provided a patch on February 1, 2013, that addresses this vulnerability."</p><p>Twitter recently had more than 250,000 accounts compromised and encouraged users to disable Java, as well. This just weeks after the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning about Java security lapses, saying "Unless it is absolutely necessary to run Java in web browsers, disable it."</p><p><a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2013/02/20/java-link-in-apple-facebook-and-twitter-hacks/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/mac-os-x/21808/apple-closes-java-hack-and-why-its-time-switch-java">Apple closes Java hack, and why it's time to switch Java off</a> (Computerworld (blog))</p><p><a href="http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/308256-apple-victim-of-facebook-twitter-hackers-java-to-blame">Apple Victim of Facebook, Twitter Hackers; Java to Blame</a> (PC Magazine)</p><p><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3006083/fast-feed/apple-releases-code-remove-java-hack-malware">Apple Releases Code To Remove Java Hack Malware</a> (Fast Company)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dseyYhk4fPmxZmMPX8CaRs6fi1agM&ned=us">355 additional articles.</a></p>
