Release date: January 20, 2026
The full version string for this update release is 1.8.0_481-perf-b11 (where "b" means "build"). The version number is 1.8.0_481-perf.
For more information, refer to Timezone Data Versions in the JRE Software.
The security baselines for the Java Runtime at the time of the release of JDK 8u481 are specified in the following table:
| Java Family Version | Security Baseline (Full Version String) |
|---|---|
| 8 | 1.8.0_481-perf-b11 |
Oracle recommends that the JDK is updated with each Critical Patch Update. In order to determine if a release is the latest, the Security Baseline page can be used to determine which is the latest version for each release family.
Critical patch updates, which contain security vulnerability fixes, are announced one year in advance on Critical Patch Updates, Security Alerts and Bulletins. It is not recommended that this JDK (version 8u481) be used after the next critical patch update scheduled for April 21, 2026.
Java Management Service, available to all users, can help you find vulnerable Java versions in your systems. Java SE Subscribers and customers running in Oracle Cloud can use Java Management Service to update Java Runtimes and to do further security reviews like identifying potentially vulnerable third party libraries used by your Java programs. Existing Java Management Service user click here to log in to your dashboard. The Java Management Service Documentation provides a list of features available to everyone and those available only to customers. Learn more about using Java Management Service to monitor and secure your Java Installations.
For systems unable to reach the Oracle Servers, a secondary mechanism expires this JRE (version 8u481) on 2026-05-21. After either condition is met (new release becoming available or expiration date reached), the JRE will provide additional warnings and reminders to users to update to the newer version. For more information, see 23.1.2 JRE Expiration Date in the Java Platform, Standard Edition Deployment Guide.
RMI will use TLS connections if the javax.rmi.ssl.SslRMIClientSocketFactory class is used. These connections now have TLS endpoint identification enabled by default. This may cause some previously-working TLS connections to fail. If this occurs, ensure that the certificate presented by the server has a Subject Alternative Name that matches the server's hostname. Alternatively, endpoint identification for RMI TLS connections can be disabled on the client side by setting the jdk.rmi.ssl.client.enableEndpointIdentification system property to false.
The SHA-1 algorithm has been disabled by default in TLS 1.2 and DTLS 1.2 handshake signatures, by adding "rsa_pkcs1_sha1 usage HandshakeSignature, ecdsa_sha1 usage HandshakeSignature, dsa_sha1 usage HandshakeSignature" to the jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms security property in the java.security config file. RFC 9155 deprecates the use of SHA-1 in TLS 1.2 and DTLS 1.2 digital signatures. Users can, at their own risk, re-enable the SHA-1 algorithm in TLS 1.2 and DTLS 1.2 handshake signatures by removing "rsa_pkcs1_sha1 usage HandshakeSignature, ecdsa_sha1 usage HandshakeSignature, dsa_sha1 usage HandshakeSignature" from the jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms security property.
The TLS_RSA cipher suites have been disabled by default, by adding TLS_RSA_* to the jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms security property in the java.security configuration file. The TLS_RSA cipher suites do not preserve forward-secrecy and are not commonly used. Some TLS_RSA cipher suites are already disabled because they use DES, 3DES, RC4, or NULL, which are disabled. This action disables all remaining TLS_RSA cipher suites. Any attempts to use cipher suites starting with TLS_RSA_ will fail with an SSLHandshakeException. Users can, at their own risk, re-enable these cipher suites by removing TLS_RSA_* from the jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms security property. The following previously enabled cipher suites are now disabled:
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA
The HotSpot runtime code has been updated to allow the jcmd -l and jps commands discover JVMs running in a container.
For the JDK11+ LTS families, the JDK will install into a version-specific installation directory by default. The installation directory of 11+ will have a - before the version-specific string to keep consistency with the past 11+ conventions per family. A junction, also known as a symlink for Windows, will also be created in a "latest" directory. It will point to the latest version of that family. Here is a breakdown example of installation and junction locations 11+ families:
| Version | Installation Directory | Junction Location |
|---|---|---|
| jdk25.0.2 | C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-25.0.2 |
C:\Program Files\Java\latest\jdk-25 |
| jdk17.0.18 | C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17.0.18 |
C:\Program Files\Java\latest\jdk-17 |
| jdk11.0.30 | C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-11.0.30 |
C:\Program Files\Java\latest\jdk-11 |
Each junction will always point to the latest JDK of the matching LTS family. The junction for each family will be removed when the last JDK of the matching LTS family is uninstalled.
A new system and security property, com.sun.security.allowedAIALocations, has been introduced. This property allows users the ability to define one or more filtering rules to be applied to URIs obtained from the authority info access extension on X.509 certificates. These filter rules are applied specifically to the CA issuers access method. Any CA issuers URIs in X.509 certificates are only followed when the com.sun.security.enableAIAcaIssuers system property is enabled and the filter allows the URI.
In order to set the rules, the user must set either the com.sun.security.allowedAIALocations security property or the system property by the same name. If the system property has a value, it will override the security property. By default the property is blank, which enacts a deny-all ruleset.
For either property, the value consists of a set of space-separated rules that take the form of a URI, with the following constraints:
/ab/cd/ will match a CA issuer path of /ab/cd/, /ab/cd/ef and /ab/cd/ef/ghi.).For the properties, a single value of "any" (case-insensitive) will create an allow-all rule.
| # | BugId | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JDK-8328085 | hotspot/compiler | C2: Use after free in PhaseChaitin::Register_Allocate() |
| 2 | JDK-8364993 | hotspot/jfr | JFR: Disable jdk.ModuleExport in default.jfc |
| 3 | JDK-8364556 | hotspot/jfr | JFR: Disable SymbolTableStatistics and StringTableStatistics in default.jfc |
| 4 | JDK-8369992 | hotspot/jfr | JFR: Disable Placeholder-, LoaderConstraints- and ProtectionDomainCacheTableStatistics in default.jfc |
| 5 | JDK-8328997 | hotspot/runtime | Remove unnecessary template parameter lists in GrowableArray |
| 6 | JDK-8317132 | hotspot/runtime | Prepare HotSpot for permissive- |
| 7 | JDK-8361447 | hotspot/runtime | [REDO] Checked version of JNI Release<type>ArrayElements needs to filter out known wrapped arrays |
| 8 | JDK-8364235 | hotspot/runtime | Fix for JDK-8361447 breaks the alignment requirements for GuardedMemory |
| 9 | JDK-8364660 | hotspot/runtime | ClassVerifier::ends_in_athrow() should be removed |