Java just can't catch a break!  A number of our readers have pointed out that Security Explorations claims they have 2 new Java zero days (no verification from Oracle on this yet).

This of course has fueled the fire of "it's time to just say no and uninstall Java" in many quarters.  And for general purpose internet browsing, maybe you can.  If you do need Java, and if you do, changing the security settings to "ask every time" is a good way to go.  Of course, if you run a business app that needs Java, you need to make it transparent to your user community somehow - this can be particular problem if your app needs a specific (aka old / vulnerable) Java version - we've talked about this in a few different stories over the last few months.

But this got me to thinking, as security folks, what tools or processes do we use daily that need Java?

My list is pretty short:
Burp Suite for Web Assessments - www.portswigger.net
ZAP - Zed Attack Proxy, also for Web Assessments - https://www.owasp.org/index.php/OWASP_Zed_Attack_Proxy_Project
Nessus, for straight up vulnerability assessments and security scans (Java is only needed for PDF exports in Nessus I think) - http://www.tenable.com
Network appliance administration is often Java based as well - for instance, the GUI for Cisco ASA firewalls and many wirelss controllers requires Java to run.

What's in your "I only need Java for this or that infosec tool" list?  Please, let us know through our comment form.
 

============ Update ============

Our friends at PaulDotCom tell us (in the comments below) that Nessus no longer needs Java for PDF exports, as of November of 2012

Thanks for the heads-up on that, my bad for not noticing the change when it came !

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Rob VandenBrink
Metafore