Windows XP will be officially retired on April 8 this year

Feb 6, 2014 20:03 GMT  ·  By

It’s no secret that Windows XP support is coming to an end and if you’re an IT administrator, you definitely need to know that after April 8, all computers still running this particular OS version would become vulnerable to attacks over the Internet.

It turns out, however, that not everyone is aware of this worrying fact and plenty of computers out there are still powered by the good old Windows XP.

The systems operated by the Los Angeles International Airport, LAX for short, are currently running Windows XP, even though end of support is only two months away.

While the US airport security officers are giving their best to get on your nerves and slow you down as you struggle to reach the next flight, their computers are running an operating system that would soon be more dangerous than the liquids you’re currently carrying in your backpack.

We won’t tell you what you could do by hacking a computer operated by an airport because it’s pretty obvious that this is the kind of thing we don’t even want to think about when booking a flight, so let’s stick to the risks of using Windows XP after retirement date.

Microsoft claims that all computers still running this OS version would basically be open doors for hackers, as all found vulnerabilities and security issues would stay unpatched and thus allow cybercriminals to get into XP machines.

“If you continue to use Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP,” Microsoft says.

With all these being said, the next time you book a flight, it might be a good idea to ask security officers if they already made the switch to Windows 7. As a security measure, that is.