The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. – Benjamin Franklin
– Microsoft includes XP users in Internet Explorer fix (BBC News, May 2, 2014):
Microsoft has said users of its Windows XP operating system will also get the security update it has issued to fix a flaw in the Internet Explorer browser.
It issued the update on Thursday to fix a bug that let hackers gain access and user rights to computers.
Read moreMicrosoft Includes Windows XP Users In Internet Explorer Fix
– Hackers find first post-retirement Windows XP-related vulnerability (Computerworld, April 27, 2014):
Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8 arent being exploited yet, but harbor a critical flaw
Computerworld – Microsoft on Saturday told customers that cyber-criminals are exploiting an unpatched and critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) using “drive-by” attacks.
“Microsoft is aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11,” the company said in a security advisory.
Read moreHackers Find First Post-Retirement Windows XP-Related Vulnerability
Related info:
– Dutch Government To Pay Microsoft ‘Millions’ To Extend Windows XP Support
– IRS Misses XP Deadline, Pays Microsoft Millions For Patches (Computerworld, April 11, 2014):
Tax collector has 58,000 PCs still running the aged XP; will spend $30M to upgrade to Windows 7
Computerworld – The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) acknowledged this week that it missed the April 8 cut-off for Windows XP support, and will be paying Microsoft millions for an extra year of security patches.
Microsoft terminated Windows XP support on Tuesday when it shipped the final public patches for the nearly-13-year-old operating system. Without patches for vulnerabilities discovered in the future, XP systems will be at risk from cyber criminals who hijack the machines and plant malware on them.
Read moreIRS Misses Windows XP Deadline, Pays Microsoft Millions For Patches
– Dutch government to pay Microsoft ‘millions’ to extend XP support (Dutch News, April 4, 2014):
The Dutch government has signed a ‘multi-million euro’ deal with Microsoft for continued support for its Windows XP systems, according to website Webwereld.
Between 34,000 and 40,000 Dutch national government civil servants are still using computers equipped with Windows XP, even though Microsoft is ending its support for the programme this month.
Read moreDutch Government To Pay Microsoft ‘Millions’ To Extend Windows XP Support
– No, Government Computers Won’t Suddenly Be Vulnerable To Hackers On April 8; They Already Are (TechDirt, March 17, 2014):
The Washington Post has an article about how, even though it’s long been known that Microsoft is sunsetting support for Windows XP on April 8th of this year, about 10% of US government computers still run XP. Because of this, the article declares that government computers running Windows XP will be vulnerable to hackers after April 8. While technically true (they will be vulnerable after April 8th) what would be a hell of a lot more true is to actually note that they’re extremely vulnerable to hackers today and have been just as vulnerable for years. Microsoft sunsetting its support doesn’t change that one way or the other.
See also:
– Windows XP: Microsoft’s Ticking Time Bomb
– A disaster in the making: 95% of ATMs still run Windows XP (Yahoo News/BGR, Jan 17, 2014):
As we’ve mentioned multiple times, now is really the time to upgrade from Windows XP if you haven’t done so already. Even though Microsoft will extend support for its Windows XP security products through July 2015, the company has warned that “the effectiveness of antimalware solutions on out-of-support operating systems is limited.” Bloomberg Businessweek reports that some of the most important machines that desperately need to upgrade from Windows XP are ATMs, of which an estimated 95% still run on Microsoft’s older operating system.
Read moreA Disaster In The Making: 95% Of ATMs Still Run Windows XP
– Windows XP: Microsoft’s ticking time bomb (PC Pro, Dec 19,2013):
Shona Ghosh examines the security threat posed by Microsoft’s decision to end support for its 12-year-old OS in April
The final deadline for Windows XP support will act as a starting pistol for hackers, as they target hundreds of millions of users on unpatched systems.
Microsoft has already granted the 12-year-old OS several stays of execution, but the firm has said it will finally end extended support on 8 April 2014 – despite the fact that XP remains the second-most popular OS, with almost a third of PCs running it.