It is now a near certainty that that Microsoft will pull the plug on Windows XP in the next two weeks. Avast Software has issued a warning about XP's demise. Ondrej Vlcek, Avast's chief operations officer, is seeing data indicating that Windows XP users' systems will be "six times" more likely to come under attack by third parties than those running Windows 7 – which Microsoft will still be supporting in the near future, obviously.The Windows XP's end-of-life is poised to bring many security concerns to the forefront of data breach prevention practices. "The abandonment by Microsoft will not only affect Windows XP users, but will create a big security problem for the whole ecosystem. Tens of millions of PCs running XP connected to the Internet, unpatched and without security updates, are just waiting to be exploited. The vulnerable OS will be an easy target for hackers and be seen as a gateway to infect other non-XP operating systems," Vlcek writes.
He also cites the oft-mentioned ATM example as an area where the loss of Windows XP critical updates, maintenance, and exploit patches, could be rather disastrous for a fairly critical industry. There are a number of banks that are working at a presumably fast pace to get their systems kicked up to Windows 7 from Windows XP. Others are contracting with Microsoft for additional Windows XP support – a pricey, but potential alternative - roughly $1,000 to $3,500 for each replacement machine, according to CNNMoney. ATMs aren't the only devices at risk. "Medical offices that store confidential patient information and stores that keep customer details, such as credit card numbers, on their computers running Windows XP could easily be attacked. The Target data breach last year was conducted through a trojan that attacked the shops' point of sales system. If businesses don't keep their systems safe, we will, unfortunately, see more of data breaches like this," Vlcek writes.
For more, check out Killing Windows XP Wastes Billions.
He also cites the oft-mentioned ATM example as an area where the loss of Windows XP critical updates, maintenance, and exploit patches, could be rather disastrous for a fairly critical industry. There are a number of banks that are working at a presumably fast pace to get their systems kicked up to Windows 7 from Windows XP. Others are contracting with Microsoft for additional Windows XP support – a pricey, but potential alternative - roughly $1,000 to $3,500 for each replacement machine, according to CNNMoney. ATMs aren't the only devices at risk. "Medical offices that store confidential patient information and stores that keep customer details, such as credit card numbers, on their computers running Windows XP could easily be attacked. The Target data breach last year was conducted through a trojan that attacked the shops' point of sales system. If businesses don't keep their systems safe, we will, unfortunately, see more of data breaches like this," Vlcek writes.
For more, check out Killing Windows XP Wastes Billions.
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