Windows XP: End of Life

Columbus, OH—On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer be providing technical support and security updates for the "Windows XP" operating system, which was released 13 years ago.

In discussing the topic with Kevin Landers of 10TV News, Interhack Technical Specialist, Brad Moore said that the security risk to users will continue to increase from this date. Moore indicated that the primary options available to users running Windows XP are to upgrade to a newer version of Windows, look at alternative operating systems with current support, or buy a new computer. 

Upgrading may seem to be the cheapest option, but there are challenges associated with making a change from XP. Many existing computers will not be powerful enough to run newer versions of Windows and there are financial costs associated with purchasing new systems as well as a time commitment to learning a new system.

When asked whether he thought that the risk to users of Windows XP will greatly increase on April 8th, Moore stated that he doesn't expect it to be like a switch being flipped but rather, the risk will continue to increase over time as the number of unfixed security holes in the system increases.

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Interhack aids executives and attorneys facing challenges and opportunities involving the use of information. We perform security and privacy assessments, as well as services to work with data in legal proceedings. Our work is used to find the right questions to ask and the best answers science can provide. Additional information about Interhack is available at web.interhack.com.