A little over a year ago, we wrote about Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector (PSI). It’s a freeware application that you can download and install in Windows. It’s purpose is to scan all of the installed programs on your PC and tell you which ones need to be updated.

Keeping your programs updated is important for your security. Recently, Google and several other companies were hacked by the Chinese using security holes in older software. Your PC probably has many of the same security holes.

There are several programs that can help to keep your Windows PC safe by scanning for those out of date programs. However, many of you might like to try out a free online scanner from Secunia. Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI) runs inside of your web browser so that you won’t have to install anything. It loads a small Java applet to do it’s work. Most PCs already have Java installed, so nothing additional should be needed.

OSI offers two scan modes. The default scan is fast, and according to the site, it scans in 5 to 40 seconds. My first scan took over a minute though. A check box on the page will allow a “thorough system inspection” that can take up to 10 minutes or more.

I’ve tried out both scans, and in the quick scan, OSI found 3 programs that I needed to update. In the more thorough scan, it detected 8 programs after running for 9 minutes. Take a look at what it found.

I’ll be spending a portion of the rest of the day getting these programs updated. After all, I don’t feel like making my PC a good target for Chinese hackers.

Try out the free Secunia OSI Scan

Techie Buzz Verdict:

Secunia OSI offers you a free, quick and easy way to test your PC for out of date software. It’s main advantage is that there’s no need to install software in most cases. If you feel your PC might be at risk, you might also want to try the full version of Secunia PSI, which is also free.

Techie Buzz Rating: 4/5