Free Security Tool Flags Old or Unpatched Apps

Make your pc safer with a downloadable utility from Secunia, a company that tracks known vulnerabilities in software and operating systems. This new beta app can identify missing Windows patches and outdated, insecure apps on your PC.

The Secunia Personal Software Inspector isn't perfect, but since keeping your computer up-to-date is one of the best ways to stay safe, it's pretty useful. Secunia says that the utility can scan for more than 4200 different programs. It picks up the same version information you would see if you right-clicked a program file, chose Properties, and then selected the Version tab. But if an app doesn't report the right version of itself, as happened with my Thunderbird e-mail software, PSI won't list the proper version either.

If you click the name of any listed insecure software, you'll get handy links to patches or newer software versions. You'll also receive a link to Secunia's advisory about why your version isn't safe, and explanations of the multiple versions of a program you may see listed.

To obtain all this data, the program communicates with Secunia's servers. According to its privacy statement, the firm stores information about your software for up to 12 months, but it doesn't collect any personal data beyond version numbers.