Secunia PSI finds new threats

When I learned about Secunia Personal Software Inspector, I had to admit that this was an area of computer vulnerability I hadn't thought much about: application security.

I usually think of computer security as akin to the border crossing stations that I used to have to go through on a day excursion from San Diego to Ensenada. You watch what goes into your computer, and you watch what goes out. But what if something was installed on your computer from a reliable vendor, but later determined to have security risks?

Featured Software:
   Secunia Personal Software Inspector

Typical virus scanning software examines your files, looking for things that shouldn't be there, or looking for programs that have been compromised in some fashion. But if there is a program with a problem that's in its original condition, a different approach is needed.

Secunia has been in the business of collecting information about vulnerable software since about 2002, storing it a database, and providing the information to business and government. Now they have a program, Secunia Personal Software Inspector, that scans your computer to see what is installed, and what versions of the software are installed, and compares the data to the information in its database. You get a report with vulnerabilities identified, with information about the nature of the risk, and even with links to download sites for software updates, when available.

The trouble is, I can't say I now sleep better at night, because this is a risk that it hadn't occurred to me I should really be concerned about. Maybe that should concern me. Hmm....

secunia personal software inspector