Microsoft Can't Protect You Any Longer: Keep Watch for Windows XP Malware

It was one of the most popular and enduring versions of an operating system ever created by Microsoft, but an increase in potential IT security risks ought to lead more PC users to think about moving on from Windows XP.

Roughly three months after officially calling it quits on free assistance and bug support for Windows XP, Microsoft also ended anti-malware protection support on the popular desktop platform. Windows IT Pro noted that this marked a full year of helping prevent attackers from getting at systems using XP, even though the operating system (OS) had already reached the end of its long life. Lingering Windows XP customers may become a target for cybercriminals if they don’t transition to another, newer OS.

SC Magazine said that, despite being 14 years old, XP has a surprisingly large installed base of some 180 million PCs around the world. But unless users plan to make better use of third-party antivirus software products and services, zero-day attacks and other dangerous threats will be considerably more difficult to avoid. And it’s not like Microsoft hasn’t given its customers ample warning or enough time to start thinking about a transition.

The changes coincided with a similar move by Microsoft to end anti-malware protection for Windows Server 2003. Much like XP, some large business customers may decide to buy themselves some extra time by purchasing a custom support contract of some kind. But as Redmond Magazine pointed out, this can be an expensive way to keep mission-critical IT systems patched. In some respects, of course, XP may be a lot quicker to replace than Windows 2003, yet there’s also more of an urgent need to upgrade since it’s connected to the way users access the Internet and therefore could potentially encounter malware.

Recent security issues involving Microsoft technology should prompt business users to be more proactive in their OS switch. For example, The Register reported on an emergency patch the company has issued to deal with a remote code execution vulnerability. This affects Windows Adobe Type Manager library, and while the patch works for Windows Vista, Windows 8 and a few others, it won’t help users of Windows XP.

Shane Schick

Writer & Editor

NIST’s role in the global tech race against AI

4 min read - Last year, the United States Secretary of Commerce announced that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been put in charge of launching a new public working group on artificial intelligence (AI) that will build on the success of the NIST AI Risk Management Framework to address this rapidly advancing technology.However, recent budget cuts at NIST, along with a lack of strategy implementation, have called into question the agency’s ability to lead this critical effort. Ultimately, the success…

Researchers develop malicious AI ‘worm’ targeting generative AI systems

2 min read - Researchers have created a new, never-seen-before kind of malware they call the "Morris II" worm, which uses popular AI services to spread itself, infect new systems and steal data. The name references the original Morris computer worm that wreaked havoc on the internet in 1988.The worm demonstrates the potential dangers of AI security threats and creates a new urgency around securing AI models.New worm utilizes adversarial self-replicating promptThe researchers from Cornell Tech, the Israel Institute of Technology and Intuit, used what’s…

Passwords, passkeys and familiarity bias

5 min read - As passkey (passwordless authentication) adoption proceeds, misconceptions abound. There appears to be a widespread impression that passkeys may be more convenient and less secure than passwords. The reality is that they are both more secure and more convenient — possibly a first in cybersecurity.Most of us could be forgiven for not realizing passwordless authentication is more secure than passwords. Thinking back to the first couple of use cases I was exposed to — a phone operating system (OS) and a…

Security Intelligence

{{title}}

{{title}}

{{title}}

Topics

More from

NIST’s role in the global tech race against AI

Researchers develop malicious AI ‘worm’ targeting generative AI systems

Passwords, passkeys and familiarity bias

Topic updates