The warning comes after an update from Microsoft telling
its users that despite software support ceasing on this date, it will now
continue to provide support for the inbuilt XP security antivirus tools until
July 2015, despite the deadline date for that originally being this April as well.
The decision purportedly comes in light of a substantial
amount of desktop computers still running Windows XP.
But it is important that XP users realise that despite
this extended antivirus support, they are still at risk from a variety of scams
that will try and take advantage of the operating system.
Windows XP Support will stop in April 2014 |
So whilst the XP security software will be updated to
allow it to detect recent malware threats all the way into 2015, for many users
it may not be enough, especially considering that security patches released to
cover exploits for Windows Vista, 7 & 8 could be reversed engineering by
scammers who could use that exploit against the unprotected XP, providing the
exploit is present in XP too.
One of the fundamental ways of keeping protected from
threats like exploits and malware is to keep all the software you use
up-to-date. Since this will soon be impossible to do with Windows XP, the only
advice is to upgrade your operating system and give XP the boot!
For most people this will mean going to the computer shop
and purchasing a new computer which will likely come shipped with the latest
version of Windows, but you can also buy upgrade CDs for Windows that will
upgrade your operating system on your existing computer.
Helpful Tip: If
your hardware can’t support more recent versions of Windows, remember there are
plenty of operating systems out there that are lightweight that require lower
hardware specifications, such as various adaptations of Linux!
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