[Donna]

I posted this info at CNET's Virus & Security Alerts forum and I thought we should have it here also to discuss or just use as reference in case anyone find it useful:

Tools to scan for missing patches and insecure versions

One of the important tasks to help protect our computers from exploits and bugs is to update the applications. An up-to-date antivirus and anti-spyware will not always protect a user from attacks and infection if the system is not fully patched.
Even antivirus vendors recommend to user to always keep a patched systems and applications.

Some users do not have all the time to find the updates they need and not all software has built-in updater or update scheduler. Below free services or tools is a solution for everyone who wants to make sure that they do not have insecure version or not missing any important patches:

1. Microsoft Update or Windows Update and Office Update website are the first places to visit.

The page will scan your Windows (also Office if installed) for required updates. You may also use the Automatic Updates feature in Windows to alert you whenever there's new update available.

2. Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer - this is a tool by Microsoft which will check for missing and misconfigured updates. You need to install this tool and scan the system while online.

3. Secunia Software Inspector - a free service that detects insecure versions of software that you may have installed in your system. When insecure versions are detected, the Secunia Software Inspector also provides thorough guidelines for updating the software to the latest secure version from the vendor. The Software Inspector is a Java applet, which makes it easier for you to use; no downloading required!

4. Belarc Advisor - another free tool that will scan the system for missing hotfixes and status of your antivirus application. It will also provide the hardware and software details found in your system.

5. SecurityExpressions - a free online service that will check for missing hotfixes in Windows. No installation is needed. Requires IE.

6. Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) – this is a free software that works like the web-based edition, Secunia Software Inspector. The difference is that more products will be scanned for insecure version. It can be configured to run during startup and scan the system in the background then alert you when a new version of your programs are available to download.

7. filehippo.com Update Checker - another free tool to check for updated version of popular programs that is on your system. You can download a standalone version (manual checking) or the installer version that lets you use Update Checker while it sits in the system tray (notification area) in Windows.


Unpatched means "you are vulnerable" to known and unknown security issues. Be diligent in updating your software, it will help you against known security issues that affects unpatched software.