14 DAY TRIAL // Even though it’s not receiving any other security updates and fixes, Windows XP continues to be the second most-used operating system worldwide and according to statistics, in some countries it is very close to becoming the leading platform.
The Budapest Business Journal is reporting that Windows XP is used by no less than 90 percent of the healthcare industry computers, which clearly leads to enormous risks as far as the security of patients' data is concerned.
Approximately 27,000 computers are still running Windows XP, the aforementioned source adds, but most workstations are too old to be able to run a newer OS version such as Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Microsoft Hungary is already discussing with the Pharmacy and Health Development Institute, while the National Infocommunications Services Company is talking with Redmond officials on ways to keep other computers in the public sector secure until they are migrated.
The best way to stay safe without support offered by Microsoft is to upgrade to a newer OS version and purchase extended Windows XP support until this is possible, but such a deal is obviously pretty expensive and could be worth millions of dollars depending on the final number of computers.
Redmond obviously warns that sticking to Windows XP after end of support is very dangerous and calls for those still running it to upgrade to another OS version as soon as possible in order to prevent any exploits from reaching your computer.
“If you continue to use Windows XP now that support has ended, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Internet Explorer 8 is also no longer supported, so if your Windows XP PC is connected to the Internet and you use Internet Explorer 8 to surf the web, you might be exposing your PC to additional threats,” Microsoft says.
“Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter more apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP.”
Only a few PCs running Windows XP can, however, cope with the requirements of Windows 8.1, so the transition process also needs hardware upgrades to run the new OS flawlessly. As a result, many users still on XP need more time to complete the upgrade, including companies that need to do this for hundreds or maybe thousands of PCs running the unsupported operating system.