# Assistance requested regarding a security exception.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistance-requested-regarding-a-security-exception/661487
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 20, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistance-requested-regarding-a-security-exception/661487 "2013-06-20T17:40:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistance-requested-regarding-a-security-exception/661487/1 "2013-06-20T17:40:41Z")
Out of the blue I can’t access anything on a website. I keep getting a pop up box that says “security exception. Your Security settings have blocked an application from running”
WTF? I didn’t set any security devices. And I’ve been going on that site for years without a hitch.
I went into my options and put the sites URL in the exception box but it didn’t do squat.
I use Firefox and Windows Vista. HELP!
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### Author:  [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistance-requested-regarding-a-security-exception/661487/2 "2013-06-20T17:47:17Z")
Go download a program (like Malwarebytes) and scan for viruses.
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### Author:  [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistance-requested-regarding-a-security-exception/661487/3 "2013-06-20T17:49:19Z")
It’s not you setting the security, it’s Firefox. Firefox by default has some checks for known malware so you don’t get infected while browsing.
It’s probably not the website itself that is causing the problem, but some third-party content (i.e. ads) on the site that have been noted as problematic. So whitelisting ‘[www.mysite.com](http://www.mysite.com)’ isn’t helping, because the bad content is actually coming from ‘[www.someadsite.com](http://www.someadsite.com)’.
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### Author:  [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistance-requested-regarding-a-security-exception/661487/4 "2013-06-20T17:53:49Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> Out of the blue I can’t access anything on a website. I keep getting a pop up box that says “security exception. Your Security settings have blocked an application from running”
>
> WTF? I didn’t set any security devices. And I’ve been going on that site for years without a hitch.
>
> I went into my options and put the sites URL in the exception box but it didn’t do squat.
>
> I use Firefox and Windows Vista. HELP!
In my recent experience, that “security settings blocked an application” thing just starting to happen is Firefox preventing a Java applet from running if you have an out-of-date Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Update Java and see if it helps. (It did in my cases.)
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistance-requested-regarding-a-security-exception/661487/5 "2013-06-21T16:13:43Z")
> [@md2000](#):
>
> Go download a program (like Malwarebytes) and scan for viruses.
Is anyone surfing the web without spyware/virus protection?
I updated Java and the problems stopped.
I don’t get it. I have java set up with automatic updates. This shouldn’t have happened. 😕
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### Author:  [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistance-requested-regarding-a-security-exception/661487/6 "2013-06-21T17:32:04Z")
Java is said to be a security risk in itself. [Oracle releases emergency fix for Java zero-day exploit | PCWorld](http://www.pcworld.com/article/2030056/oracle-releases-emergency-fix-for-java-zeroday-exploit.html)
> [@](#):
>
> Oracle released emergency patches for Java on Monday to address two critical vulnerabilities, one of which is actively being exploited by hackers in targeted attacks.
>
> The vulnerabilities, identified as CVE-2013-1493 and CVE-2013-0809, are located in the 2D component of Java and received the highest possible impact score from Oracle.
Dated March 4th 2013