On April 10, 2012, Microsoft officially announced that as of April 8, 2014 they will end extended support for Windows XP and Office 2003, after which no new updates, hotfixes, patches or support will be issued. “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” said Tim Rains from Microsoft. Zero-day attacks are when attackers exploit a vulnerability before the developer is aware or can fix the problem.
Windows XP already has a notably higher infection rate than its successors Windows 7 and Windows 8. Those preparing to continue using XP after the cut-off date, are going to be in a unpleasant situation trying to protect their intellectual property. With Microsoft ending their support, the vendors for applications running on it will most likely end support.
Attackers will have the upper hand once Microsoft cuts off XP support and presumably will have more information than the defenders about system and application vulnerabilities. Also, attackers will have the possibility of compromising the system and applications if they exploit the zero-day vulnerabilities.
For more information regarding Windows XP End of Life, click here.
According to NetMarketShare.com, Windows XP still has about 37 percent desktop operating system share as of June 2013. Although it is the second most used operating system, Microsoft said that they will not be extending support for XP after April 8, 2014.
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