Posted by : Unknown
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Government systems running Windows XP
will reportedly become more vulnerable to attacks after Microsoft ends
supporting the OS on April 8th. The deadline will also affect banks as
more than 95 percent of the world's ATMs run on Windows XP.
Microsoft Windows XP supports over four
million government computers in the US alone and the lack of security
updates post the deadline will make them more prone to exploits and
malware. Microsoft is offering paid support extension for governments
and businesses, but this service could prove more costly in the long run
than upgrading to Windows 7 or 8.
RBS is upgrading its machines to Windows
7 which will take about three years to complete. JPMorgan has also
started converting its machines to Windows 7 which will be completed by
the end of this year. Lloyds has extended its support contract with
Microsoft to 2016 while it updates 7,000 units. HSBC and Santander have
agreements in place with Microsoft already, while Barclays is still
negotiating a deal with Microsoft.
"There are certainly large enterprise
customers who haven't finished their migrations yet and are purchasing
custom support," a spokesman for Microsoft said, declining to name those
customers or to quantify the extra revenue it is earning. "The cost
will depend on both the specific needs of the customer and what support
they already have in place, so it's different for every customer."
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- Windows XP Support Deadline Makes Government Systems Vulnerable to Hackers