Marilyn- I read the article at the link you posted and if you read it carefully you will note that the article states the vulnerabilities in JAVA 7 were there previous to that version...for YEARS in fact. It is just that this is now being brought to light and being exploited. You are not even safe if you run a Mac which is usually immune to "Windows" viruses and trojans and malware. Yes, some interactive games may still use JAVA but I haven't found any that currently use it. Most Web sites have replaced JAVA with newer safer code. Most games now employ Flash or HTML5---I haven't come across any that currently require JAVA be enabled in your Web browser. Older computer programs may use JAVA (that can be safely used ON your local computer--not Web-based). Turning JAVA off in your Web browsers doesn't disable it ON your computer where you can safely use it locally. Personally...I feel that if you choose not to disable JAVA in your Web browsers you do so at your own risk...and the Dept. of Homeland Security agrees with that assessment. Why not try disabling it and then visit your usual Web sites and play your usual online games...and SEE if you encounter any problems? You can always enable it again if you find you have issues accessing anything you NEED. Joan In a message dated 2/23/2013 8:24:41 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, unicorn1950@comcast.net writes: Just an F.Y.I. from a non-expert on this, so please don’t rake me over the coals. >From what I’ve been reading/hearing , the vulnerability lies in JAVA version 7. But if you run it at all, make sure you have all of the updates. Here’s one discusion site: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/01/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-java-expl oit/ Marilyn