Google lately has added an option to Chrome Stable to deactivate outdated plugins automatically. While that resolves some of the security implications, it does not resolve the underlying issue: How are users informed about plugin updates and where can they download them?

Mozilla, the organization behind the Firefox browser, has added plugin checks to the Firefox update process to inform users of outdated plugins.

The Chrome extension Plugin Updater offers a similar solution. The extension basically scans installed plugins regularly and informs the user whenever an outdated plugin version has been discovered.

The extension indicates outdated plugins with an icon in the Chrome address bar. You can hover the mouse over the icon to receive information about the number of outdated plugins that have been found by the Chrome extension.

A click on the icon opens a new page with detailed information:

The page displays a summary on top before the vulnerable and up-to-date plugins are listed in detail. Information about vulnerable plugins include the installed plugin version, the implications (for instance that critical security issues have been found) and a How can I fix this link. The link redirects to the plugin developer homepage where the latest version of the plugin or software can be downloaded and installed

Non-Chrome users can open the browser plugin check page directly to see if their installed plugins are up to date or vulnerable. The core benefit of the Chrome extension is that it automates the check.

Chrome users should consider installing the Plugin Updater extension to receive notifications whenever on of their installed plugins is updated.

Update: The Chrome plugin has been removed from the official repository. Chrome users can manually check their installed plugins at the Mozilla Plugin Checker.

The plugin check would analyse the plugins of the web browser and compare their version to the latest version offered by the plugin’s developer to inform the user if the plugin is up to date or needs updating.

This plugin check has now been extended by the developers to work with other web browsers as well making it a web tool for everyone who wants to verify that the installed plugins are up to date.

All that needs to be done to check the installed plugins is to visit the plugincheck website to do so.

The online service can identify many popular plugins. The plugin database is maintained by Mozilla and constantly expanded. It can however happen that some plugins are not recognized automatically by the service.

Three different statuses are available: Up To Date confirming that the latest version of the plugin is installed, Update suggesting that the plugin is outdated and Research if a plugin cannot be identified yet by the service.

Links lead either to the developer’s homepage or a Google search depending on the individual plugin’s status.

The idea came up to extend this check to include other popular plugins as well. A first version of that plugin checker is now online and available at a test server which can be publicly accessed by anyone.

The scripts on the page will check for installed plugins and compare the version of the installed plugin with the latest version that is offered officially by the developer of the plugin. Supported are at the moment (among others) Apple Quicktime, Shockwave Flash, Adobe Acrobat, Java, RealPlayer and Windows Media Player plugins.

Plugins are either rated as safe or potentially vulnerable (there might be a third rating for vulnerable plugins). An update button is displayed next to potentially vulnerable plugins which should lead to a download page to update the latest version of the plugin. Some plugins do not reveal their full version which means that they will be shown as potentially vulnerable even if the latest version is installed.

Users who want to check out the Mozilla Plugin Check server right now can do so by visiting this link. They should know that the web browser will detect an invalid certificate and ignore it if they wish to continue. The plugin check website is working partially if other web browsers are used to connect to it.