There are plenty of people out there who wish Microsoft would call off their plan to end support for Windows XP next month. You can count Avast COO Ondřej Vlček among the people in that crowd. Avast is known for developing a suite of security programs, including anti virus and Internet security programs for homes and businesses.
Vlček states on the official Avast! blog that severing support for XP will not only make the outdated OS unsafe for its user base, but will compromise the security of everyone who interacts with a system tied to a PC running XP.
Vlček goes beyond warning consumers, essentially condemning Microsoft for weakening digital security across multiple platforms whose impact will affect countless users who aren’t in a position to defend themselves. Despite years of warning, a large percentage of Windows PCs still use XP, including the systems of large institutions like international banks, medical facilities and the U.S. government agencies. With 95 percent of ATMs reportedly still running XP, Vlcek invokes last year’s Target hack as an example of the digital attacks that could become much more frequent once support for it ends next month.
Some institutions,including many banks, are negotiating extended support deals to continue receiving Windows XP support from Microsoft. It’ll be interesting to see what the security landscape looks like once support for XP concludes after the April 8 support cutoff passes.
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