The End of Windows XP Support & What it Could Mean for You

PUNE, India - April 17, 2014 - PRLog -- Windows XP is about to reach the end of its lifetime in less than a week, technical assistance for Windows XP will no longer be available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. This doesn’t imply that the machines will stop working post 8^th of April, 2014 but will be more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. With the end of support for XP, Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP.

The ideal solution for all existing XP users is to upgrade to a newer OS like Windows 7 or Windows 8. But with over 30% of market share, factors like cost and compatibility or convenience play a major role in upgrading to a newer OS. This puts an enormous number of PCs at risk.

# According to Microsoft India, 84% of PCs in large businesses have moved away from XP. But small and medium sized businesses are more at risk.

# Gartner says that over 15% of medium and large enterprises will still run XP on at least 10% of their PCs even after April 2014.

# Business Standard reported in November 2013 that around 34,000 branches in public sector banks were still running Windows XP.

# Microsoft India has also reported that 52% of PCs in banks, 30% in Government offices, 26% in manufacturing companies and 26% in software firms were running on XP.

“We have been consistently updating our users and readers about the Windows XP doomsday through our blogs and threat reports. It is the second most popular Operating System, a lot of unpatched machines will represent serious danger to the security of the networks that they are connected to and the Internet in general. The attitude that goes for updating Operating Systems is similar to – if it’s not broken then don’t fix it. Similarly users are reluctant to change something that they are used to and that still works. This goes for business users as well.” Sanjay Katkar, Quick Heal Technologies.

Users of Windows XP are advised to take appropriate measures to safeguard their PCs and valuable information. Installing a security software that offers multilayered protection against threats, keeping the firewall on, using secure browsers, disabling plugins such as Java, Adobe Reader, etc., using limited accounts for daily tasks and avoiding the use of admin accounts are some of the ways in which users can safeguard their PCs. More tips have been explained in the post - How to Survive the End of Windows XP and Safeguard your PC.

For Enterprises it is advisable that the XP machines should be operated in a virtualized network so as to isolate the machines from the rest of the network. In spite of all precautions, a physical backup of all data on the XP machines should be taken. The XP machines should be updated to the latest patches released until April 8, 2014. A web browser other than Internet Explorer should be used to access the Internet. Updated Microsoft Office should also be used so as to prevent risky attachments. Deletion of third-party software should be carried out. An effective enterprise security solution should be installed. For more Enterprise safety precautions, read The End is Near for Windows XP. Is Your Business Prepared?

“It is possible that hackers may have found vulnerabilities in Windows XP and that they are just waiting for the 8^th of April. Then there are vulnerabilities that are unknown. The concern is that even if Microsoft discovers them in the future, it’s not going to release any security fixes for them. Depending on the severity of these risks, the cybercriminals might triumph given the situation. We advise all our users that they be aware and upgrade the OS. If that’s not possible, then they should take as much precaution as they can to safeguard their machines.” Sanjay Katkar, Chief Technology Officer, Quick Heal Technologies.

Read more about the ways to safeguard your machines and information at http://blogs.quickheal.com/wp/category/windows-xp/

Name of person – Abhijeet Sumant
Email – abhijeet.sumant@quickheal.co.in
Website- http://www.quickheal.co.in/
Contact Number-  +91-020-66835900
Office Address - Quick Heal Technologies (P) Ltd.
Office No. 9, MHADA Complex
S. No. – 120, Near RTO,
Phule Nagar, Yerwada, Pune: 411006,
Maharashtra, India