Oracle’s Critical Patch Update Advisory for January 2020 documents twelve security vulnerabilities in Java 8 Update 231 and earlier versions.

Java 8 Update 241 was released to address those vulnerabilities. The release notes page for Java 8 lists notable changes in Java 8 Update 241.

These days the only mainstream web browser that still supports Java is Internet Explorer. If you use Internet Explorer with Java enabled, keeping Java up to date is critical.

But even if you don’t use IE with Java, if Java is installed on your computer, it’s a good idea to keep it up to date. If you’re not sure, look for a Java entry in the Windows Control Panel. Open it and click the About button on the General tab to check the installed version. If it’s not up to date, go to the Update tab and click the Update Now button.