Items tagged with Windows XP
For the few of you who are still clinging to Windows XP, there is a new security update available. That's right, Microsoft has issued a rare patch for the defunct operating system, along with a few other versions of Windows, to protect against a 'wormable' exploit that could spread from infected PC to infected PC in a similar manner as WannaCry. This is a remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2019-0708) that is present in Remote Desktop Services (formerly known as Terminal Services). It affects older versions of Windows dating all the way back to Windows XP. Other affected versions include Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 2008. Microsoft says this vulnerability...
Read more...
The latest version of the long-running Windows operating system family is Windows 10, and Microsoft really wants consumers and businesses to leave older versions behind. The software giant has put the last nail in the coffin for the Windows XP operating system. Extended support for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, which was the last supported version of Windows XP, ended on April 9, 2019. That marked the end of the Windows NT 5.1 product line that ran for over 17 years. With the NT 5.1 family considered, XP was the longest-lived version of the Windows operating system. While the average consumer doesn't care about Windows NT 5.1, it hanging around for so long meant that XP Home and Pro SP3...
Read more...
The latest documents from Vault 7, a collection of confidential materials related to hacking tools used by the United States Central Intelligence Agency and obtained by WikiLeaks, was made public today by the whistle blowing organization. This newest leak details the CIA's Angelfire project, which is a persistent framework that can load and execute custom malware on computers running Windows XP and Windows 7.Angelfire consists of five components, including Solartime, Wolfcreek, Keystone (previously MagicWand), BadMFS,a nd the Windows Transitory File system. Each of these parts has a distinct job. It starts with Solartime, which modifies the partition boot sector so that when Windows fires up...
Read more...
The United Kingdom is basking in the glory of its latest warship: the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The 65,000-ton aircraft carrier cost nearly $4 billion to construct and began its first sea trials on Monday. But the carrier’s big budget price tag isn’t the only thing that is raising eyebrows; it is the British Royal Navy’s decision to allow critical systems on the ship to be powered by Microsoft’s ancient Windows XP operating system. Windows XP was first released to the public in 2001, and commercial support for the operating system ended in 2014. However, many businesses and militaries around the globe still use Windows XP to this day even though newer operating systems like Windows 7, Windows...
Read more...
Microsoft is not wavering on its decision to stop supporting Windows XP as a whole, though apparently it will on occasion release security updates for the legacy operating system, presumably for the greater good. We saw this just last month when Microsoft patched Windows XP to protect users against the WannaCry ransomware outbreak. Now it has released another security update for Windows XP, this time due to the "heightened risk of exploitation" by copycats. In a sense, WannaCry can be considered a wake-up call for the security industry at large. As it pertains to Microsoft, the Redmond giant fears that foreign government agencies might follow in the footsteps of WannaCry and go on the offensive....
Read more...
For a quick minute, it looked as though a strain of ransomware that was seemingly stolen from the United States National Security Agency (NSA) was going to be a major problem for PCs around the world, and in particular Windows XP systems. Microsoft even made the unusual move of releasing an emergency patch for Windows XP even though it stopped supporting the legacy OS a long time ago. But now a week after the initial WannaCry outbreak it's been discovered that Windows 7 PCs were the hardest hit. A researcher for Kaspersky Lab posted a message on Twitter saying "the Windows XP count is insignificant," adding that Windows 7 took the brunt of the ransomware's activity. When looking at the overall...
Read more...
Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP several years ago, though because some users and businesses (including government agencies) are still clinging to the legacy operating system, it has been known to release patches for more serious security threats. It does not happen often, but it does happen. Case in point, Microsoft has issued a security patch to protect Windows XP systems from the WannaCrypt ransomware that is spreading across the globe. Also known as WannaCry, WCry, and a handful of other names, WannaCrypt is believed to be one of the cybersecurity tools a hacking group pilfered from the National Security Agency (NSA) and leaked to the web. What makes this bit of ransomware particularly...
Read more...
Windows 95 is alive and well in the United States Pentagon. Daryl Haegley, program manager for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment reported at an event hosted by OSIsoft that 75% of the Department of Defense computers Windows XP or older (including Windows 98 and even Windows 95). This information was gathered from fifteen different defense sites within the United States.Image from: Wikimedia Commons, David B. GleasonMicrosoft ended support for Windows XP in 2014, but the Pentagon currently pays Microsoft to continue providing support for the outdated OS. The majority of the computers equipped with Windows XP or older are thankfully...
Read more...
Blizzard will soon be turning a cold shoulder to users who are still running Windows Vista or Windows XP. Starting sometime later this year, Blizzard said it begin the process of ending support for both legacy operating systems in several of its popular games, including World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo II, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm. They're just too old for Blizzard to continue supporting."Microsoft ceased mainstream support for these versions of Windows in 2009 and 2012, respective, but since a decent portion of our audience was still using them at the time, we continued supporting them. However, there have been three major Windows releases since Vista, and at this point, the...
Read more...
Gmail is ending support for Chrome browser versions 53 and earlier by the end of the year, Google announced in a blog post. Normally Google would not bother announcing such a thing, but in this case it made an exception because of the impact this could have users who are still clinging to Windows XP and Windows Vista. The last supported version of Chrome on either OS was Chrome 49. "As previously announced in April 2015 and November 2015, these systems are no longer maintained by Microsoft, and we strongly encourage you to migrate to more secure and supported systems," Google said. This announcement does not necessarily mean that Gmail will stop working altogether for staunch holdouts of Windows...
Read more...
Firefox users who are still clinging to Windows XP or Windows Vista will soon have reason to consider upgrading to Windows 7 or Windows 10. Mozilla announced in a blog post that it is phasing out support for Microsoft's legacy operating systems in 2017. The phase out period will begin in March of next year when Mozilla moves users on XP and Vista to the Extended Support Release (ESR), a version of Firefox that is not updated as frequently. After that Mozilla will continue providing security updates until September before pulling the plug completely. Users do not need to take any additional action to receive the security updates. In the middle of next year, Mozilla said it will reassess how many...
Read more...
Sound the alarm, Google's ending support for its Chrome browser in Windows XP and Windows Vista! You there, on your outdated Mac, quit snickering -- Google's also cutting off support for Mac OS X versions 10.6 (Snow Leopard), 10.7 (Lion), and 10.8 (Mountain Lion). If you're rocking one of these older OSes, continue using Chrome at your own risk.Chrome will still work and dutifully load up webpages as it shuttles you around the web. However, starting in April of next year, Google will stop issuing security updates and fixes. That in essence puts a big target on your back with a flashing neon sign that reads, "Hey bad guys, look at me, I'm over here!"This is a double whammy for anyone running one...
Read more...
Windows XP enjoyed a nice, long run, but after over a decade of faithful service, Microsoft finally pulled the plug on the legacy operating system and discontinued support in April of last year. All but the most diehard fans have since moved on, though it's still installed on more desktops than Windows 8.1, and on almost as many as Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 combined. You can count the U.S. Navy's system among them. According to a contract page at the U.S. Department of Defense, the Navy opted to pay Microsoft over $9.1 million dollars to continue offering custom support services for Windows XP. The contract also covers Office 2003, Exchange 2003, and Server 2003. As part of the...
Read more...
As hard as it might be to believe, Microsoft ceased support for Windows XP last April; the 8th, to be exact. Since then, there has actually been little to report on XP-wise, although earlier this month, we did learn that the classic OS has more users than Windows 8 -- much to Microsoft's chagrin, I'm sure. Realizing that not everyone has moved away from Microsoft's legacy OS yet, or has simply been unable to, Google has vowed to continue supporting the OS with its Chrome browser straight through to the end of 2015. But with this favor comes some sound advice: On April 8, 2014, Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP. This isn’t just a formality: computers running Windows XP haven’t received...
Read more...
