Java’s SSVAGENT.EXE: training the monkey
By Simon Bisson & Mary Branscombe in Editorial
Posted in Web browser, Security, Internet on
If you run Vista and you’ve allowed Java to update itself recently, you’ll be getting an infuriating dialog box every time you open a new browser window, including a new tab or a popup window, saying that unsigned code wants to run and that it can’t run in protected mode (the low-rights mode that Internet Explorer uses). The SSVAGENT.EXE referred to is Java’s update agent, which runs every time the browser runs - and Sun apparently can’t tell the difference between a new Internet Explorer process and a new tab running in the existing process.
If you actually use any Java applets, you may also get an error telling you there are several Java Virtual Machines running.
It’s bad enough that Sun put out software without a digital signature proving where it comes from, the most basic security check on code for the end user. It’s equally annoying that the suggestion from Sun is that you just click ‘Allow’ every time until the bug gets fixed in Java 6 Update 10 (’officially released later this summer’) and that Internet Explorer doesn’t let me say ‘Don’t ever allow this to run’. But how about an update agent that runs every time you run your browser? That’s not very respectful of my resources, or my bandwidth. Other applications have periodic checks for updates and they only run when I’m not buys doing other things (Vista has an API for this, so even if you have umpteen different notification systems running, they can all find out when you’ve stopped to think or turned away to pick up the phone and do their updates, checks and maintenance without slowing you down). Why does Java need to check for updates so obsessively?
The Java control panel doesn’t think it needs to check that often; the default setting appears to be check monthly. So why does it hook into Internet Explorer to run the update agent all the time? Personally, I’m turning off the updater altogether. I can’t tell you exactly where the Java control panel hides itself; I couldn’t find anything in the All Programs list so I typed ‘Java’ into the search bar on the Vista Start menu and it offered me the Java control panel without having to dig for it. On the Update tab clear the check box for ‘Check for updates automatically’ and stick to your decision when Java asks if you won’t reconsider and click ‘Check Monthly’ instead because that’s the setting you started with. You may have to quit and restart Internet Explorer to prise Java’s hook out of the code and then you can go back to having browser windows open without a security warning that you train yourself to ignore.
That’s the problem with dialog boxes where it’s OK to just click yes, and one of the problems with Vista’s User Account Control. Any time there’s a dialog that’s in your way, the temptation is to click Yes just to get rid of it. Ask users if they want to do this unsafe thing, if they really want to, if they really really really want to and they’ll click Yes with less and less hesitation. Years of popups and confirmation dialogs have trained the user like a monkey in an experiment; click here and get what you want. But you have to have confirmation for some things (Format C:? Record Battlefield Earth? Delete your wedding photos? Install an application just because you clicked on a URL?).
The real problem is that the PC has no idea of context or common sense; I navigated to the home page for the Kevtris game by typing in the URL, so when I click the download link and then click Run I really do want to install the game, but if I clicked an ad link in my email and it goes straight to installing a Trojan I really don’t want to. The PC has to leave intelligent decisions up to the user, and that means dialog boxes and confirmations when there’s anything that could be suspicious. Not remembering to sign the code for your application? That’s either suspicious, downright penny-pinching ($25 for a certificate) or shows you don’t have a good sign-off process for your developers. Either way, yes, I do want my browser to warn me about you.
-Mary
Rated: 66.67% (6 votes)
Loading ...Comment by - August 29, 2008 on 3:26 am
It is annoying. Thanks for explaining why. IE does not have “Allow all the time option” but there is a check box which says “Dont give this warning again for this program” Checking that seemed to solve the dialog box atleast.
However, I hope they stop running this program everytime a tab opens…
thanks,
nanda
Comment by - August 29, 2008 on 3:58 am
Glad you found it helpful. The check box usually only works if you select Allow, which means you are running the Java update agent with every browser window, which you may find affects performance.
M
Comment by Lee - October 3, 2008 on 11:03 am
“I can
Comment by - October 12, 2008 on 2:21 am
That last solution worked like a charm. Why didn’t I think of it myself!
In a Dutch IE the solution is:
Extra
-> Invoegtoepassingen beheren
–> Invoegtoepassingen in- of uitschakelen
and then just choose ‘uitschakelen’ on the svvhelper class.
Well, thanks!
Comment by - November 18, 2008 on 6:32 pm
Thanks to Lee for giving a solution for this nag. Thanks to Simon and Marie for addressing the problem.
Comment by jonathanVerrier - November 23, 2008 on 12:00 pm
Thanks that worked
Comment by John - November 29, 2008 on 5:34 pm
Thank you, thank you!!
The brilliant Java people who inserted this should be made to wear a sandwich board sign in public like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David is ordered by a judge to wear a sign “I Steal Forks From Restaurants.”
Comment by Heather - December 29, 2008 on 11:08 am
I have just been reading this and it is happening to me, When I try and download new things I get C:PROGRAM~1\Java\re6\bin\ssvagent.exe I haven’t a clue how to get rid of this, can you please help a novice. thank you and all the best for 2009
Comment by - December 30, 2008 on 4:55 pm
Heather, it looks as if this post was truncated in a recent update; sorry for the confusion. You should now find all the steps you need to follow covered above.
Comment by - January 16, 2009 on 3:22 pm
Very helpful article! I had this behaviour today, too. Seems this ist still not fixed 
Comment by Tim - February 24, 2009 on 4:06 am
What a pain - I solved this by finding SSVAGENT.EXE on my hard drive under c:\Program Files and renaming it to SSVAGENT.EXE.dont-bother-me. No more pop ups!
Comment by Ken - March 13, 2009 on 9:41 pm
I am amazed that it has taken until today for me to encounter this problem to “pop up!” Thanks for the solution; I think I will follow Tim’s example…I’ve wnated to say, “NO!” to PC’ “Wait,” for over twenty years, and this is pretty close. By the way, in response to a comment you made, “The PC has to leave intelligent decisions up to the user…,” maybe you should forward that idea to Microsoft. I am convinced they believe they are the only ones who can perform that fete, and I am sick and tired of being told/forced to go along with their often user-unfriendly ways of doing things.
Comment by naveenkumar - April 25, 2009 on 6:25 pm
Hey Tim Thank a Tonne I was able to solve this problem atlast it worked!Cheers mate!
Comment by Forrest C. Shields II - April 27, 2009 on 3:52 pm
You mentioned $25 for a digital certificate. Where can you find a code-signing digital certificate for only $25? I’m currently in the market for one and the cheapest I can find is $179/yr. (Comodo.com)
Comment by - April 30, 2009 on 6:32 am
Forrest, when we wrote this we checked current prices and I think the cheapest we found was GoDaddy.com.
Comment by - May 9, 2009 on 1:16 pm
Excellent article. What a pain Java has created.I wanted to delete the app but the monthly update is sensible
Comment by joe - August 5, 2009 on 6:08 pm
The java applet was in the 32 bit control panel section( sub menu in regular CP ) I am on V64. That did it.
Comment by Gavin - February 14, 2010 on 10:25 am
Cheers Tim for advice ! JAVA not my friend no more !!!
Comment by Kim - March 1, 2010 on 12:34 am
OK. I understand how this should work, but… I was unable to turn off the update. Infact, there seem to be files missing all over my hard drive(?). I can’t do a simple clean-disc. A window pops up saying choose a program to open the file cleanmgr.exe. The only recommended option is Internet Explorer. Other options are Word, Adobe, Notepad and Media Center. LOL
If I click ‘ok’ to IE it brings to another box to download or Run IE. Then to a window that wants me to download svvagent.exe. Then it just runs me in circles. I got frustrated and deleted Java. But all the files are still missing. None of my shortcuts work. I cant clean or defrag. Do I need to reinstall Vista and IE8? I’m lost.
Comment by lesley - March 5, 2010 on 10:16 pm
i am having exactly the same problem as Kim above. Can anyone advise a solution?
Comment by Steve - March 11, 2010 on 12:03 am
Why not sue Larry Ellison? He owns Sun now. He ruined it faster than he ruined Oracle.
Comment by Lisa - March 13, 2010 on 12:01 am
I’m having the same problem as Kim. I already Disabled it in Tools\Manage Add-ons. I just can’t figure out how to fix this problem!!! Please help in simple english, not tech talk.
Comment by Nick - April 3, 2010 on 5:12 pm
I am having the same problem as Kim and Lisa and have done the same steps as Lisa but it still hasn’t worked.
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Comment by ryan downie - June 16, 2011 on 7:11 pm
hey i cant click on the “dont bring this up agin” button whtevr its called and i cnt find it anywhere on my hardrive or programs and im rly not good wit computers so please i need some hlep haha
Comment by keanna - June 18, 2011 on 11:06 am
this is a year 1/2 later, but im having issues with my brand new computer. everytime i try to open anything, it asks me what id like to open it with, blah blah blah, then to run or save. so i do that, and then it closes out my window completely and keeps asking to run or save over and over. im getting extremely frustrated. i went to the jave control panel, but there was no update tab. im thoroughly confused. please help?
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