As you may be aware, support for Windows XP and Office 2003 will end on April 8, 2014. Having an unsupported operating system running on your network carries potential risks such as;
- Security and compliance risk of running an unsupported desktop operating system.
- Impact on users in the event of critical application and desktop support issues.
- Inability to run latest versions of Microsoft Office as well as 3rd party applications.
- Potential for license compliance risks related to downgrade rights.
What does End of Support mean to you?
After April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates for Windows XP or Office 2003.
What Industry Experts are Saying -- Potential Risks of Running Windows XP beyond April 8th 2014:
Cybercriminals “saving up” wave of Windows XP attacks for when Microsoft stops support”
According to this article, many security experts are reporting that “Cybercriminals will unleash a wave of ‘zero-day’ vulnerabilities to attack Windows XP machines after April 8, 2014….Criminals will ‘sit on’ such vulnerabilities until that date to make more money from their exploits.
The Risk of Running Windows XP After Support Ends April 2014:
This recently Published Microsoft’s Security Blog outlines the reasons that Windows XP will become significantly more vulnerable after April 8th 2014:
“The very first month that Microsoft releases security updates for supported versions of Windows [After April 8, 2014], attackers will reverse engineer those updates, find the vulnerabilities and test Windows XP to see if it shares those vulnerabilities. If it does, attackers will attempt to develop exploit code that can take advantage of those vulnerabilities on Windows XP. Since a security update will never become available for Windows XP to address these vulnerabilities, Windows XP will essentially have a “zero day” vulnerability forever. How often could this scenario occur? Between July 2012 and July 2013 Windows XP was an affected product in 45 Microsoft security bulletins, of which 30 also affected Windows 7 and Windows 8.
If You’re Concerned, Here’s What To Do Next...
For businesses that are using a newer version of Windows like 7 or 8, you should be secure from these security exploits. If you are using XP on the other hand, consider contacting your Account Manager (203.242.1111) or our technical support team (800.711.5557). We’ll review your upgrade and replacement options with you to help you plan for the discontinuation of XP support.