This update was part of Oracle's critical patch updates (CPU). It introduced crucial security fixes, performance enhancements, and minor features to the mature Java 8 platform:
The installer places the JDK under C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_161\ and includes:
: Addressed multiple vulnerabilities in the Java Runtime Environment to protect systems from remote code execution. jdk-8u161-windows-x64.exe
For servers, the default maximum heap size changed from the older 256 MB to 1 GB on 64-bit Windows. This reduced the risk of OutOfMemoryError for moderately sized applications without manual -Xmx tuning.
JDK 8 update 161 is a release of the Java Development Kit (JDK) version 8, which is a software development kit that provides a set of tools for developing, testing, and running Java applications. This particular update includes various bug fixes, security patches, and performance enhancements. This update was part of Oracle's critical patch
java version "1.8.0_161" Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_161-b12) Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.161-b12, mixed mode)
Certain older versions of Apache Ant, Maven plugins, or Scala assumed exact paths or bugs that were patched in later updates. 8u161 is a common target for such legacy builds. This reduced the risk of OutOfMemoryError for moderately
Java 8 Update 161 was primarily a CPU (Critical Patch Update) designed to improve security, fix performance bugs, and refine existing features. Security Standard Modifications