A serious, so-called zero-day vulnerability in Java has been found by the digital security firm FireEye. The company says it is currently being exploited for malicious purposes, and it’s advisable that if computer owners use Java they should adjust their security settings or disable Java.

Oracle, which makes Java–a plugin that makes possible many of the more dynamic Web interactions that sites need for online commerce or gaming–has acknowledged the bug and is investigating.

Several other Java vulnerabilities have been in the news this week. Back in February, a similarly serious Java flaw prompted Apple to remotely disable Java on Macs and force all users to download a new edition of the code from Oracle. Security flaws like this have been implicated in the recent high-profile hacks of Apple, Twitter, and Facebook.

[Image: Flickr user dmitry-baranovskiy]