New data from the Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Malware Protection Center notes a skyrocketing level of Java exploits, recently detected. The figures are stark, indeed: Microsoft says some six million attacks were detected against Java in the third quarter of 2010--that's four-times the number reported just last quarter. And the numbers look worse when pitted against the beleaguered Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) PDF software. By comparison, the Adobe family of PDF software saw less than 100,000 attacks in the same time period.

Thankfully, just about all the Java attacks can be traced to a trio of security vulnerabilities which have since been patched. However, the problem is that users might not be aware of the threat posed by an unpatched Java installation. 

Java is arguably as popular as Adobe Reader, and comes with its fair share of bugs. According to Network World, the CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) database lists 66 known exploits for Java that were reported this year alone. By comparison, the Windows operating system has 329 reported, with a mere seven reported for ASP.NET.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Network World
- check out this article at Ars Technica

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