Microsoft is warning people still running Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to beware of a newly-discovered vulnerability that is apparently already being exploited. The big lesson here? If you’re still running XP at this late stage, you have only yourself to blame.
Picture: Wikipedia
Microsoft’s announcement of the bug doesn’t give a lot of detail, though it does note that exploiting the issue requires a local logon and can’t be done remotely. More disturbing? “We are aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit this vulnerability.”
It’s understandable that Microsoft hasn’t given full details, since that would make it easier for others to exploit the vulnerability. What’s less understandable is why anyone is still running XP five months before Microsoft switches it off altogether. While migrating now will be potentially painful, it’s certainly better than the alternative.
Comments
14 responses to “Windows XP Vulnerability Reminds Us That XP Should Be Dead”
What a narrow minded story.
Not really. Windows XP is 12 years old at this point, with thr underlying code older than that. It is to be expected that such vulnerabilities are found.
This is a reminder not to stick with aging technology when security is a must.
I understand all that, but some organisations are in situations where they aren’t in the situation where they decide when they can upgrade. I am not saying that it’s an ideal situation, but to suggest that everyone should have already migrated is narrow minded.
I agree that it’s aging now, but your numbers are misleading.
-XP was the newest consumer OS microsoft offered until 2007 (6 years ago)
-A decent replacement for XP, 7, wasn’t offered until 2009. (4 years ago)
Most people use whatever OS their computer comes with until it gets thrown away. A 6-year old machine could be a perfectly capable core2duo with a few gigs of ram (Hell, I’m typing this on a 2007-era core2duo).
Hardware cycles have been increasing since the p4 era, when computers hit that magical ‘more powerful than most people need’ point. This is just where, for the first time, there’s been a major collision between software support lifecycles and increasing hardware lifespans.
And of course, The people who’re primarily hurt by it will be those who don’t really understand computers and don’t know this is coming. The rest of us swapped over years ago.
I’m not denying the scenario we are in, nor the history of the OS. All I’m pointing out the historic of the OS itself.
What a narrow minded comment
So the story is written from a single perspective and as I can see many alternatives to the situation, my comment is narrow minded? Fair enough…. please tell me more things that I shouldn’t see differently, it will save me a lot of time.
Please suggest an alternative solution – happy to hear it.
Note, your alternative must include keeping the unpatched Windows XP, with the security exploit in place, as the suggestion was to upgrade/replace.
I never said an alternative solution. I said that there are alternatives to the situation. There are reasons some people/companies can’t just upgrade as is suggested.
From the story, “While migrating now will be potentially painful, it’s certainly better than the alternative.” – In the organisation I work in, it is either use XP now with the required applications, or upgrade to Windows 7 and not be able to use any of the critical applications required by the organisation as they are still working on compatibility issues, which would mean no functionality of our core IT systems. So my argument is that being that the alternative is not be able to function, I would say that the story is written from a narrow minded perspective.
By the comments you have made, you too have a narrow minded attitude and cannot comprehend what actually happens to some organisations in the real world rather than an ideal one.
Agreed. I’ll probably be still using XP after it’s official death. Welcome to government funding.
Maybe it is time to move to Ubuntu!
Or your employer to blame. Not everyone has the freedom to install whatever operating system they like on work provided hardware.
Agree with the sentiment, though, I’ve been on w7 since rc1 and from that day forward could never go back.
Exactly what I was thinking.
This is Microsoft propaganda. First we move to Windows 7, then to Windows 8 (which a new study has proven is made of dead babies and the zombified remains of Hitler’s chichuahua, which explains why Microsoft changed something without consulting me!!)