System and method of preventing a web browser plug-in module from generating a failure

In a computing device having at least one plug-in module that extends the functionality of a Web browser, a method of identifying a plug-in module that generated a failure, comprising:

• in response to receiving notice of a failure, obtaining selected contents of memory of said computing device created at the time of the failure;
• generating a failure signature that is characteristic of the plug-in module that generated the failure;
• comparing said failure signature with one or more failure signatures generated by known plug-in modules;
• and
• allowing a user to disable the plug-in module that is the source of the failure instead of a category of plug-in modules.