Hands-on Project 1 – 3 (Practical 2)

Objectives: Inspect for Insecure Versions of Applications using Secunia Software Inspector

It is critical that security updates be applied in order that computer systems remain secure. Unpatched application software programs are increasingly becoming the target of attackers. Although Microsoft has developed a process through which users are notified of security updates each month, most other software vendors do not have this feature and many applications are unpatched.

One solution is to use an online software scanner that will compare all applications on your computer with a list of known patches from software vendors. The online software scanner can alert you to any applications that are not properly patched.

Hence, we will use Secunia’s Software Inspector to identify any applications that need to be patched.

1) Open your Web Browser and enter the URL secunia.com/software_inspector.

2) Click View detailed list of applications to see all the programs that Software Inspector will scan.

3) Click your browser’s Back button to return to the previous page.

4) Click Start Scanner and accept any default warnings.

5) Check the box Enable through system inspection. This will allow Software Inspector to search for applications that are not stored in their default locations.

6) Click Start.

7) Software Inspector will begin its scan. Depending on the number of applications that are on your computer, the scan may take several minutes to complete, although it will begin displaying information as it completes applications.

8) When Software Inspector has finished it will display a dialog box stating that the scan is complete. Click OK. If you are prompted to sign up for a service, decline the offer.

9) A list of the applications that have been scanned will be displayed. Click on the + next to the application name to display further information.

10) Click the links to access the updates to secure these applications.

11) Close all windows.

Reflections
I find that the Secunia’s Software Inspector is very helpful as it help to scan for any applications that are unpatched or not properly patched. Thus this quicken the pace for updates instead of waiting for Microsoft to inform me those available updates each month. Also, my computer systems will be secured with these updates and will not be so vulnerable to attacks by the attackers.