Java 7: Getting Self-signed/Untrusted Apps to Run

Well, in the name of security, it seems Java 7 has broken a whole lot of apps. I will not bother with the pros and cons of this, but will simply address how to get things working again. Java 7, by default, blocks “untrusted” and “self-signed” applications. In addition, it is 64 bit and will not work with Chrome on Macs, which is 32 bit.

Trying to run such an app results in this annoying dialog:

Application Blocked Dialog from Java 7 on OS X.

Java Security Preferences

There are a couple ways around this. The most simple is to use the Java Security Preferences to lower the Security Level. This can be done by:

1. Select “System Preferences…” from the Apple Menu
2. Click on the “Java” icon.
3. Click on the “Security Tab”
4. Drag the “Security Level” slider to “Medium”
5. Click on the “OK” button.

This will allow all Java applications to run, however the user is prompted with the following dialog:

Java Security Warning Dialog

Another option is to create an “exception” for the application.

This can be done by:

1. Select “System Preferences…” from the Apple Menu
2. Click on the “Java” icon.
3. Click on the “Security Tab”
4. Click on the “Edit Site List…” button
5. In the “Exception Site List” window, that pops up, click on the “Add” button
6. Enter the URL for your application
7. Click on the “OK” button
8. Finally, click on the “OK” button, to accept the changes in the “Java Control Panel”

Unfortunately, neither of these options work if you are trying to run Chrome on OS X. In this case, the only option is to disable Java 7, and use Apple’s version of Java 6. This is a more complicated process, that involves using the Terminal app to issue commands.

Note: You must be logged in as an administrator. If prompted for your administrator password after a command, enter it and then press the Return or Enter key.

1. Open Terminal, located in the Utilities folder.
2. Enter this command, then press the Return or Enter key:

   sudo mkdir -p /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/disabled

3. Enter this command, then press the Return or Enter key:

   sudo mv /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/disabled

4. Enter this command, then press the Return or Enter key:

   sudo ln -sf /System/Library/Java/Support/Deploy.bundle/Contents/Resources/JavaPlugin2_NPAPI.plugin /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

5. To re-enable Java SE 6 Web Start, enter this command, then press the Return or Enter key:

   sudo ln -sf /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Commands/javaws /usr/bin/javaws