14 DAY TRIAL // Windows XP will be discontinued in less than 20 days, so the risks of getting hacked are very likely to skyrocket in approximately two weeks. Of course, moving to a newer operating system should be a priority for everyone, especially because hackers would most likely try to exploit every single found vulnerability after end of support arrives.
Now the Reserve Bank of India issued a new warning for those still on Windows XP, recommending all banks to upgrade computers and ATMs to a more secure operating system as soon as possible.
Of course, even though the RBI has asked banks to take immediate steps to protect their computers, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s also going to happen, as the transition to a newer platform is a costly process that also needs a lot of time.
And still, RBI officials that without Microsoft support, it might be very difficult to block incoming exploits and since financial institutions are very likely to be among the first targets, protecting computers should be a priority.
“The probability of attacks on such a system may increase and it may be difficult to defend such attacks in the absence of Microsoft support,” the RBI mentioned in a notification submitted to banks this week according to a report by NDTV.
“As some of your systems, including ATMs, may still be working on Windows XP, you are advised to take immediate steps to implement appropriate systems and controls in this regard.”
Millions of computers will very likely stay on Windows XP for many months from now despite the approaching end of support and even though Microsoft and security vendors are warning that refusing to upgrade is a very risky decision, 29 percent of the PCs are still powered by this OS version.
Security vendor Avast said that those who would keep running Windows XP after April should at least replace Internet Explorer with a more secure browser, such as Google Chrome, which will continue to work on XP and receive updates after retirement.
At the same time, installing a third-party security solution is a must for everyone on Windows XP, even though Microsoft warns that this won’t be enough to protect your computer. Of course, it’s up to the user to decide whether he or she wants to move to a newer platform, but many consumers are actually refusing to do so because of the high costs of the process and the hardware upgrades required by a newer OS version.