Keeping software and the operating system up to date is a dead given for expert computer users and part of their computer maintenance schedule. These users know how to check for updates and install them as soon as they are released on their systems to protect the system from exploits. Inexperienced users on the other hand might have difficulties keeping up with the updates released. That burden is somewhat reduced by the automatic update option in many popular programs and the Windows operating system.
The chance is however relatively high that some programs are not updated at all or not early enough which might make the computer system vulnerable to attacks that target vulnerabilities in outdated versions of the programs.
Secunia Online Software Inspector is a cross-browser online scanner for the Windows operating system that can perform a quick scan of the computer system. It is a lightweight version of the security vulnerability checker Secunia Software Inspector that is offered by the same developer.
The only prerequisite is that Java is installed on the PC that the user wants to scan. A click on the Start button will perform a quick system scan. The vulnerability scanner will update the statistics during the scan displaying the total number of programs discovered. This figure is broken down into vulnerable and up to date programs.
It is possible to perform a deeper scan of the PC by checking the Enable thorough system inspection option before starting the scan. Vulnerable applications will be listed by the vulnerability scanner making it very easy to identify programs that need updating. Windows users who want more control over the scanning options can download the desktop software of the client instead. (via Techie Buzz)
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Convenient, but checks for very few apps (last time I tried) – mostly browsers. Their desktop app is time more extensive.
I’ve used the online scanner many times; it doesn’t take long, even with “thorough” enabled.Secunia is an easy way to find out if things like Flash & Java have been updated. I haven’t tried the desktop version.
Have used the desktop version for a few years. The scan only takes a few minutes, covers the majority of all software, and provides good fixes where necessary. This is a free software that I believe should be part of every desktop’s suite.
I’ve been using Secunia PSI Personal Ed for quite some time. I have it as a scheduled task to be run once a week. It covers a lot more than the online version does and is free for personal use.