38 NEWS UNIFIED COMMS FORTNIGHTLY REPORT


Windows XP is now at best a stopgap


• Switching to a new OS may seem a straightforward decision but might not be so simple If you don’t switch right now,


GUEST ARTICLE


Support for Windows XP has ended. Since April 7 there have been no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free


or


paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.


Is this a problem? After all, it’s


a 12-year-old operating system. It wouldn’t be if it weren’t for the fact that there are still a lot of people using Windows XP – our data indicates that around 18 per cent of our customers are still running the system. That’s a lot of people wide open to attack once the security patches dry up: effectively, every vulnerability


discovered from


now will become a zero-day vulnerability – that is, one for which there is no chance of a patch.


The problem will be


“A basic anti-virus product based on signature-based scanning is insufficient”


plenty of notice about the end of support, it’s not so hard to see why there might be difficulties for some businesses.


David Emm, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab


compounded once application vendors stop developing updates for Windows XP. Every unpatched application will become another potential point of compromise, further


On top of the cost of switching to another OS, it may also mean investing in


new hardware


and even trying to replace a bespoke application developed specifically for the company – one that will not run on a later-operating system. So it’s not so surprising to see some large organisations paying for continued support for XP.


a comprehensive internet security product that makes use to


of proactive defend against


technology new,


unknown threats, in particular, functionality to prevent the use of exploits. A basic anti-virus product, based largely on signature-based scanning for known malware is insufficient. Remember, too, that as times goes by, security vendors will implement new protection technologies that may well not be Windows XP-compatible.


increasing the potential attack surface.


Switching to a newer operating system might seem like a straightforward decision. But though Microsoft has given


can you stay secure? Will your anti-virus software protect you? Certainly


it


protection – but this only holds good if by “anti-virus” we mean


will provide


At best, you should see this as a stopgap while you finalise your migration strategy.


Malware


writers will undoubtedly target Windows XP while significant numbers of people continue to run it, since an unpatched operating system


will offer


them a much bigger window of opportunity in which to exploit vulnerabilities they find. And any Windows XP-based computer on a network offers a weak point that can be exploited in a targeted attack on the company – if compromised. This will become a stepping-stone into the wider network. There’s no question that switching to a newer operating system is inconvenient and costly,


for individuals and


businesses. But the potential risk of using an operating system that will become increasingly insecure might well outweigh the inconvenience and cost.


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