Windows XP

Now that XP is unsupported are there any particular risks involved in continuing to use it?

 

Nope, no more than there were a month ago.

 

I would say that so long as you're behind a router with a decent full
firewall, and you're using up to date third party security software
(antivirus/~spyware) you have little to worry about so long as you're
careful about opening documents from unverified sources that may turn up
on your machine, especially if you turn off suspect services like
messenger and upnp if you don't actually need them.

We don't run any software that has been known to have MS vulnerabilities
that tend to get exploited and 'hacked at' ... from MS Word via Outlook
to MSIE and I have no hesitation about keeping on running Win XP on
some machines on our network until the hardware breaks and I get new kit
that doesn't come with xp drivers any more.

-P.

 

No NO NO !

 

Yes, yes, yes. There are always risks. EMB touched on one when he
mentioned that virus writers and malware writers might target XP since
there will be no updates. I don't think that that is a big risk, as even
the virus writers realise that XP won't be around for ever, and that all
major flaws have probably been uncovered. Virus writers will be
targetting newer OSes running on newer more powerful machines. After
all, would you attack an ancient operating system, running a small
memory, not much storage and a pedestrian CPU, or a newer OS with plenty
of memory, terabyte disks and multicore CPUs?

There are risks but they are very small. There are systems still running
NT4-SP6A and I doubt that anyone is interested in trying to break into
them. XP is in a similar situation as NT4-SP6A was when it reached end
of life.

Cheers,

Cliff

 

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-corrects-windows-xpsecurity-essentials-bug-7000028585/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/10/how_to_run_xp_on_new_windows/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/08/end_of_xp/

 

That does not matter if you have a decent firewall and virus/malware
software installed.

That is the comments that have been posted on the net..

 

Keep telling yourself that as they plunder your computer.

In fact you are pretty safe with XP, (with a firewall and malware
software) but you are not completely safe. And wasn't it you that was
banging on about firewalls not stopping everything? Or maybe that was
your mate Lennier.

Cheers,

Cliff

 

a) Yes

b) Maybe

c) Time will know.

 

Thanks to all for your comments.

 

As always, the least secure part of any system is the wet ware. Read email in
plain text, don't click links, don't run things from the interweb thingy,
don;t let dodgy foreigners that randomly ring you 'fix' your computer, and you
are largely safe. Of course, that's not going to happen as people tend to be
stupid.
And recent data indicates that even supposedly safe s/w can have
unexpected bugs/features.

All that typed, be as paranoid as you like. Me ... I choose no paranoia (and
linux mint ).

As usual, mileages vary.