14 DAY TRIAL // Windows XP is officially an unsupported operating system and no longer receives updates and security patches, but only a few users seem ready to make the move to a different platform.
A new set of statistics provided by Net Applications for the month of April reveals that Windows XP is still powering 25.41 percent of the desktop computers worldwide, while Windows 7 continues to lead the charts with 50.93 percent.
Windows XP has lost only a few users last month, with figures dropping from 27.69 percent in March to 25.41 percent in April, even though the operating system has reached end of support and Microsoft rolled out plenty of upgrade notifications and warnings that users might be exposed to security risks if they do not upgrade.
Windows 8, on the other hand, still has a market share of 6.12 percent, while Windows 8.1 closed the month at 5.66 percent, which means that Microsoft's modern operating system now powers 11.78 percent of the PCs across the world.
Microsoft obviously warns that staying on Windows XP is a very risky decision and warns that cybercriminals would attempt to exploit every single flaw they found in the operating system.
“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 said in a statement a few months ago.
“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.”
A flaw in Windows XP has already been found, with an Internet Explorer vulnerability currently affecting all versions of Windows and exposing users to attacks launched via a compromised website. Malware hosted on this webpage can be used for remote code execution, Microsoft warned while also providing a number of workarounds to help consumers stay on the safe side.
Internet Explorer 10 and 11 are the only versions not affected by the flaw, Microsoft said, so everyone is urged to upgrade as soon as possible. Switching to a different browser is also an option for those still running Windows XP.