The Windows XPocalypse is almost upon us.
After a legendary dozen year run, Microsoft will stop providing security
patches for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. Without Microsoft’s protection, all
those WinXP PCs will have targets painted on their hard drives.
Nearly
30 percent of Internet-connected PCs still
run Windows XP, and no, they won’t die that day. They’ll continue running like
normal, but they’ll be rotting inside, becoming increasingly full of security
holes. Microsoft itself has dubbed the condition “Zero day forever.”
Look,
let’s be honest. You should upgrade
from Windows XP right now if at
all possible—but not everyone can cut the XP cord so completely. If you can’t upgrade,
there are some things you can do to protect yourself. Make no mistake: These
tricks are like sticking your finger in a leaking dam. They’ll help a bit, but
the dam is crumbling and it’s time to get out of the way.
Understand the risks
When
Microsoft says it’s ending support for Windows XP, that means it will no longer
produce security patches for critical vulnerabilities in the operating system.
As time goes on, more and more critical security holes will be found, and
attackers will have free reign to exploit them. Large organizations can pay exorbitant fees for continued custom Windows XP
support, but those updates will never trickle out to everyday users or small
businesses.
Smart attackers are likely waiting to exploit holes they already
know about. They’ll unleash their attacks when Microsoft has moved on. The
problems will never be fixed, so they can continue to attack them until the
last Windows XP system vanishes from the Internet.
Other
software developers will eventually stop supporting Windows XP, just as they no
longer support Windows 98, creating even more attack vectors. This won’t happen
overnight, but Windows XP will gradually be abandoned by everyone.
Choose your software
wisely
If you
use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, it’s time to let go. Internet Explorer 8,
the most recent version available for Windows XP, is already several
generations old and will no longer receive security patches. Google Chrome will
continue supporting Windows XPuntil at least April 2015, while Mozilla Firefox
has no announced plans to stop supporting Windows XP. So switch to Chrome or
Firefox and you’ll have a secure, modern browser.
Most antivirus solutions will still
continue supporting Windows XP. Even Microsoft’s own Microsoft Security
Essentials will support Windows
XP until July 14, 2015. Antivirus-testing company AV-TEST asked 30 different antivirus companies about their plans for Windows XP support
and all of them committed to support Windows XP until at least April 8, 2015.
Most committed to supporting it for even longer, into at least 2016.
Be sure
you’re using an antivirus program that’s actually receiving updates, though,
because that expired copy of Norton isn’t going to help you. An antivirus app
isn’t a foolproof solution, and Microsoft
warns, “Our research shows that the effectiveness of anti-malware solutions on
out-of-support operating systems is limited.” Still, having some type of
third-party protection certainly won’t hurt.
If
you’re still using the now-defunct Outlook Express, you should stop using it
right now. If you really love the Outlook experience, switch to the full
version of Outlook included in Microsoft Office. Mozilla is still supporting
Mozilla Thunderbird with security patches, though it’s unclear how long they’ll
support Thunderbird on older operating system. Of course, you can always just
use a web-based email service in Chrome or Firefox.
Microsoft will also stop supporting Office
2003 on April 8, 2014. If you’re still using Office 2003—or, even worse, Office
XP— you should update to a newer,
supported version of Office for
improved security. Yes, this means only ribbon-ified versions of Office will be
supported. Sorry.
Remove insecure software
The
Java browser plug-in is extremely exploit-prone on any operating system. Unless
you really need Java for a specific purpose, you should uninstall it. If you do
need it, be sure to disable the browser plug-in and keep it up-to-date.
Other
browser plug-ins are also frequently targeted by attackers. Adobe Flash and
Adobe Reader are particularly crucial, so keep them up-to-date. Modern versions
update themselves automatically, but older versions didn’t even check for
updates. If you don’t need these applications, you should probably uninstall
them to lock down your XP system as much as possible.
Thanks for Reading......
Comments
Post a Comment