Editing Java applet (section)

=== Self-signed ===
Self-signed applets, which are applets signed by the developer themselves, may potentially pose a security risk; java plugins provide a warning when requesting authorization for a self-signed applet, as the function and safety of the applet is guaranteed only by the developer itself, and has not been independently confirmed. Such self-signed certificates are usually only used during development prior to release where third-party confirmation of security is unimportant, but most applet developers will seek third-party signing to ensure that users trust the applet's safety.

Java security problems are not fundamentally different from similar problems of any client-side scripting platform<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wiley.com/legacy/compbooks/press/mcgch1.html|title=To be fair, significantly more World Wide Web users use the Netscape product than use the Microsoft product today, though the gap appears to be closing|website=Wiley.com|access-date=2017-03-17}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}. In particular, all issues related to signed applets also apply to Microsoft [[ActiveX]] components.

As of 2014, self-signed and unsigned applets are no longer accepted by the commonly available Java plugins or Java Web Start. Consequently, developers who wish to deploy Java applets have no alternative but to acquire trusted certificates from commercial sources.