Secunia, a provider vulnerability management solutions, on Thursday launched Secunia Personal Software Inspector 3.0, a free scanner that identifies software applications that may be insecure and need to be patched.
Following its debut in 2007, the tool now supports and provides the security status for more than 3,000 vendors, including Microsoft and third-party programs.
Whether or not a software vendor provides automatic security updates no longer matters, as Secunia PSI 3.0 now lets users receive the automatic security patch updates from Secunia, a significant new feature and a major leap forward in raising the security-level of computers worldwide. This “hands off” approach makes it easier and more effective for users to maintain secure software applications and data stored on computers.
According to Secunia’s most recent report, the number of end-point vulnerabilities increased once again in 2011 to over 800 vulnerabilities – a tripling within only a few years – more than half of which were rated by Secunia as either ‘Highly’ or ‘Extremely critical’. Patching insecure programs helps safeguard data and PC against cybercriminals. These cybercriminals are increasingly targeting private PCs. Their entry points are vulnerabilities in popular non-Microsoft programs, which are exploited and used as a gateway to compromise PCs and access confidential data such as passwords, online profiles, and bank details. Attacks exploiting vulnerable programs and plug-ins are often not blocked by traditional anti-virus.
“We are on a mission to secure PCs worldwide and in our continued efforts to do this we are unveiling a new Secunia PSI that is simple and useful for the non-technical user as well as the very technically minded user, and one that will help private PC users worldwide stay secure against the ever-increasing vulnerability threats,” said Morten R. Stengaard, Director of Product Management and Quality Assurance at Secunia.
Other features included in Secunia PSI 3.0 include:
• Program Ignore Rules – Users have the ability to ignore updates to a particular program by creating ignore rules. This can, for example, be relevant if a user has an application that depends on an older version of another program or plug-in. Users may reverse this selection at any time. Users also have the ability to view the file location and version number of an installed program.
• Simplified User Interface and History – A simplified user interface displays the key information that users need to know: scan results, the security status of installed software, and when these programs are up-to-date. Reports about the updates installed and scans conducted can be accessed at any time through the history feature.
“We have come a long way and are confident that the new Secunia PSI will be incredibly effective for helping users around the world stay secure with an accuracy that only Secunia can deliver,” Stengaard added.
The Secunia PSI 3.0 can be downloaded here.
