Secunia Releases Software Checker [beta]

[Tami]

Test the Secunia [url=\"https://psi.secunia.com/\"]PSI[/url] (BETA) Technology Preview, an upcoming addition to the Secunia Software Inspector series, based on the proven Secunia File Signatures Technology.

NOTE: The free Secunia PSI is available for Private/Home Users ONLY. Corporate users must refer to the Secunia [url=\"http://secunia.com/network_software_inspector/\"]Network Software Inspector[/url].

The Secunia PSI detects installed software and categorises your software as either Insecure, End-of-Life, or Up-To-Date. Effectively enabling you to focus your attention on software installations where more secure versions are available from the vendors.

Needless to say, we are very excited about this new free service for the Secunia security community. We appreciate all feedback, thoughts, and ideas that you wish to share with us.

Highlights of The Secunia PSI:

* The Secunia PSI will be available free of charge
* Calculates your unique Secunia System Score
* Automatically scans your computer
* Enables you to update Insecure/End-of-Life software
* Provides Direct Download Links to security updates & patches
* Detects and advises on more than 4,700 applications
* Direct correlation between thousands of Secunia Advisories and your specific system and software
* Secure SSL encrypted connection to Secunia

About Secunia PSI & System Requirements

How does the Secunia PSI work

The Secunia PSI works by examining files on your computer (primarily .exe, .dll, and .ocx files). These files contain non-specific meta information provided by the software vendor only. This data is the same for all users, and originates from the installed programs on your computer - never from their configuration. Please read the privacy statement available at the bottom of this page and through the Secunia PSI application for more details about how information from your computer is used by Secunia.

After examining all the files on your local hard drive(s), the collected data is sent to Secunia's servers, which match the data against the Secunia File Signatures engine (https://psi.secunia.com/) to determine the exact applications installed on your system.

This information can then be used to provide you with a detailed report of the missing security related updates for your system.


Purpose of the Secunia PSI

The Secunia PSI is an invaluable tool for you to use when assessing the security patch state of software installed on your system. It constantly monitors your system for insecure software installations, notifies you when an insecure application is installed, and even provides you with detailed instructions for updating the application when available.

It is NOT the purpose of the Secunia PSI to detect whether your system has already been compromised or if local changes, settings, or missing requirements could cause the Secunia PSI to report incorrect results. The Secunia PSI relies on the meta-data of executables and library files. The Secunia PSI does NOT conduct an integrity check of the individual files, rather, it checks whether a specific program is vulnerable according to the reported version numbers and not whether the files have been compromised or replaced by other users or programs.

The Secunia PSI is not a replacement for other security measures such anti-virus or personal firewalls, the Secunia PSI is a great supplement to other security measures such as anti-virus and personal firewalls as it helps preventing exploitation of often overlooked exposures.

Additionally, it is important to understand that the process of identifying insecure software installations on any system involves many different factors and, in rare cases, may result in incorrect detections. Should you encounter such a situation, please send us your feedback and all relevant information at support@secunia.com.


System Requirements

The current list of requirements that must be met for the Secunia PSI to function correctly are the following:

Supported Operating Systems:
* Microsoft Windows XP - Service Pack 2
* Microsoft Windows 2003
* Microsoft Windows 2000 - Service Pack 4
* US and European languages only

Privileges:
* To install and run the Secunia PSI you will need administrative privileges

Connectivity:
* Access to Secunia servers (encrypted) via SSL (https://psi.secunia.com:443/)
* Access to Microsoft Windows Update servers, see also WUA requirements below

Software Requirements:
* Latest version of Microsoft Windows Update Agent (WUA)

You can determine whether or not you are running the latest WUA by visiting "http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/". If you are able to check your system for missing updates through this tool, your system should function properly with the Secunia PSI.