Agentic AI changed the Java security landscape. Your unsupported patch cycle is now a liability.

Quarterly update release delays, testing cycles and regression risks leave enterprises exposed for days to weeks, while agentic AI exploits are being built and launched within hours of disclosure.

Java Security

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Exploitation now happens before disclosure

Mean Time-to-Exploit, the gap between a CVE going public and the first confirmed exploit in the wild, has been on one trajectory for nine years straight.

The patch gap risk keeps growing

Agentic AI doesn’t need a critical vulnerability to exploit. It can chain together multiple lower risk flaws. Quarterly patches are only heading in one direction, giving AI more weaknesses to exploit.

Two Options; One Solution

The risk looks different depending on how your organization currently runs Java.

Risk	Self-Supported Java/OpenJDK*	Commercially Supported Java/Azul Core
Speed under machine-speed attacks	The organization must extensively test PSUs and targeted monthly Critical Security Patch Updates (CSPUs) to keep pace with the speed of AI-driven exploits.	Azul’s Security-only, Stability-firstTM CPUs and CSPUs typically contain only a handful of security fixes, offering an immediately deployable, security-only path.
Update availability	Full quarterly updates are typically provided on a best effort basis, sometimes days to weeks after disclosure.	Azul’s CPUs and CSPUs are released on a strict SLA, typically within one hour of disclosure.
Update validation	The organization’s team owns regression testing of full updates, which can take days.	Azul’s security-only CPUs are suitable for immediate deployment.
Regressions	~20% of full updates (5 in 24) result in regression issues.	Azul’s CPUs have never caused a regression issue.
Enterprise-specific regression escalations	No guaranteed community response or timeline.	Azul’s CPUs have never caused a regression issue.
Zero-day vulnerabilities	Best effort, out-of-cycle fixes from the community.	Azul provides out-of-cycle fixes upon critical disclosures.
Cost profile	Variable engineering and incident cost.	Azul’s fixed, budgetable subscription plus low-overhead internal deployment work.
Insurance posture	Increased premiums; increased claim rejection rate.	No negative impact.
Knowledge risk	Expertise may be lost, or concentrated in a small number of engineers.	Azul has the largest Java team outside Oracle.
Legacy technology	No patches for legacy technology like Java 6 and 7.	Azul backports security fixes for Java 6 and 7.

*Azul recommends against using any OpenJDK distributions in production that do not provide security-only updates, including free Zulu builds.

Security-only, Stability-first™️ updates enable AI-era patch cycle velocity

Patch as fast as agentic AI attacks move. Azul is the only OpenJDK vendor closing the gap between AI-driven exploitation and the typical weeks-long enterprise patch cycle, with Security-only, Stability-first quarterly, monthly and out-of-cycle updates CPUs built for rapid deployment to meet security and regulatory requirements.

Fast, stable & secure. Choose any three

Deploy immediately, with no testing delay. Our quarterly CPUs and targeted monthly CSPUs are Security-only, Stability-first™ patches that have already passed extensive regression testing, built on the prior quarter’s community-tested update with only the new security fixes added.

Comprehensive security

Stay covered on a firm SLA, not a best-effort promise. We deliver quarterly and targeted monthly updates ready for immediate production deployment, full quarterly patch updates for non-production testing, and out-of-cycle fixes to address zero-day vulnerabilities, all in partnership with the Java community.

Get the Guide | Free Java, Real Risk

It has never been more critical to know what’s running in your Java estate. Get visibility into unsupported runtimes, patch exposure, and operational risk.

Webinar | Trick or Treat: What’s Really Running in Your Java Estate?

Join Azul’s Deputy CTO Simon Ritter to see what’s actually haunting your Java estate, and what a security-only patch strategy looks like when remediation is measured in hours, not weeks or months.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if the Java I’m running is actually unsupported?

Check your JDK vendor and version against that vendor’s published support and end-of-life dates. If you’re on Oracle Java without an active support contract, or on a build past its vendor’s patch window, you’re very likely running unsupported Java. Most teams need a scan across their actual environments to get a definitive inventory, since manual tracking rarely catches everything.

How long does it typically take to exploit a newly disclosed Java vulnerability?

Recent analysis puts the average time to exploit a disclosed vulnerability at under 5 days, against a median enterprise patch cycle of roughly 32 days -> 43 days. Incidents of agentic AI https://thehackernews.com/2026/09/papercut-attacker-uses-hundreds-of-ai.html have also been found which were created and weaponized in hours.

Does running unsupported Java create a compliance problem?

Yes, in most cases. Standards such as SOC 2, PCI DSS, and HIPAA generally require that software stay patched against known vulnerabilities. Unsupported Java, where no vendor is providing security fixes, typically can’t meet that requirement regardless of Oracle licensing status.

Does moving to a supported Java distribution mean rewriting code or changing JDK versions?

No. A drop-in, OpenJDK-compatible distribution runs the same bytecode and APIs as your current build, so switching vendors is typically a binary swap, not a code change or version migration.

How long does it actually take to get off unsupported Java?

For most enterprises, moving to a supported OpenJDK distribution takes days to a few weeks per environment, since it’s a drop-in replacement rather than a migration project. Testing and internal change-management process usually drive the timeline more than the technical switch itself.

Are Azul’s free, unsupported Zulu builds of OpenJDK affected by these risks?

Yes, Azul recommends against using any OpenJDK distribution, including free Zulu builds that doesn’t provide ongoing security-only updates in production.

Close the patch gap today

Talk to a Java expert about moving off unsupported Java. Most teams deploy without rewriting code or changing JDK versions.