Running out-of-date browser plugins can put users at risk on the Web. Mozilla, which already offers a plugin checker for its own open source Firefox browser, is now extending the service to rival products.
Mozilla’s plugin checker now works on select add-ons on certain versions of Opera, Apple’s Safari, Google’s Chrome and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
eSecurity Planet takes a look at Mozilla’s new plugin checker, and discovers what could be a limitation to the free tool.
Mozilla, an open source organization whose Firefox Web browser operates in a highly competitive market, is extending a security service for plugin checking to users of rival browsers.
The Mozilla plugin checker is an online service that first debuted for Firefox users in October 2009. Firefox 3.6 also provides an integrated mechanism enabling users to check their plugin status.
The technology now also works for Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) Safari 4, Opera 10.5 and Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Chrome 4, as well as Internet Explorer 7 and 8. The plugin checker provides users with a service that helps to identify whether the plugins on their systems are up-to-date.