Secunia Software Inspector
Posted on January 25, 2007, under Security.
For the last year or so, I’ve used Secunia to keep track of the latest software vulnerabilities that have been discovered. Recently, they released a new, free web-based service called the Secunia Software Inspector. The tool will scan your computer for software that has reported vulnerabilities, and it alerts you of what to do to update your software or address the issue. I don’t know how comprehensive its software list is, but it seems to at least catch major browsers, plug-ins and e-mail clients.
On both my work and home computers, the scanner let me know of a vulnerability for the installed version of Apple QuickTime, as well as remnants of old, trouble-some Adobe Flash installs. I did end up having to go research how to remove old versions of Flash player on my own though. It’s helpful to note Adobe provides a global Flash uninstaller.
The Software Inspector is by no means a replacement for a good anti-virus package or firewall, but it is a nice free service to help keep your machine a little more clean and secure.
