According to security experts, there is a thunderstorm on the horizon for XP users continuing to navigate the Internet with outdated, unpatched operating systems. Despite the fact Microsoft released an XP patch even after the support deadline had passed; the company has reiterated support for XP has officially ended.
Microsoft posted this update on their official blog: “If you are still on Windows XP you will not receive any security or non-security updates through Windows Update or Microsoft Update. Because support has ended for Windows XP, we are no longer releasing updates to the general public for Windows XP going forward.”
Thus, no more updates are forthcoming. Over time, unsupported XP users will become more vulnerable to security risks, and their system performance may degrade. According to Trustwave’s intelligence manager, Karl Sigler, vulnerabilities will be exploited relentlessly in the next three to six months.
While concerns about the XPocalypse were definitely over the top, XP users may find their systems compromised by hackers, who use their computers to spam others, or participate in DDOS attacks.
Fortunately, a study by Security Cloud Provider Qualys found the number of XP users has dropped from 35% to 15% in a single year, and transportation and healthcare industries have cut down XP usage significantly.
The last estimate of the world's computers still running XP was 27%. This includes many government organisations, federal agencies and financial institutions using machines with XP on their networks. Rest assured the public's fears of stolen pin numbers and hacked power grids are unfounded, since Microsoft offers custom support for large enterprises still migrating.
“We offer Custom Support for Windows XP as a temporary, last resort to help bridge the gap during a migration process to a modern OS. We are sure that our customers are taking the necessary steps to protect their customers.”
The company stressed they provide Custom Support for enterprises to assist with migration, but not to extend the life of XP. Large enterprises will be forking out up to five million a year, scrambling to upgrade everything as quickly as possible.
Now the support deadline is long past, individual XP users without Custom Support will be fending for themselves. Albeit Microsoft patched a zero-day vulnerability found across all versions of Internet Explorer weeks after XP's end-of-life, the company maintains there won't be a repeat performance.
Microsoft’s general manager of trustworthy computing, Adrienne Hall said, “We made this exception based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP.”
Not only this, the vulnerability was deemed so hazardous, the US Department of Home and Security recommended users avoid the browser until the security flaw was fixed. The vulnerability meant hackers could gain full user permissions over the computer, install malware, access and steal sensitive data, and more.
If you're still using XP, the following is recommended:
- Update existing XP Patches - Microsoft is leaving the existing XP patches on their website long past the support deadline. Download and install them.
- Anti-virus - Install excellent software to protect your unpatched system. Download a free security suite like AVAST, or invest in a more secure option like Kaspersky. Whatever you do, don’t rely solely on Microsoft Security Essentials. While Microsoft has pledged to provide updates until July 2015, the software always sits at the bottom in AV tests.
- Software Updates - Well-known software like Adobe Reader are often the target of cyber criminals. Therefore, ensure you’ve always got the latest versions. Install a free software updater, which compares your version to online versions, or check websites regularly. Learn more
Need a hand migrating away from Windows XP?
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