After 8 April 2014, Windows XP will no longer receive new security updates, non-security hotfixes or online technical content updates. This means that any new vulnerabilities discovered in Windows XP after its “end of life” will not be addressed by new security updates from Microsoft.
So practically what does this mean:
- The XP computer is more vulnerable to viruses and security issues and the security mitigations built into Windows XP are no longer sufficient to stop many of the modern day attacks.
- If there is a reason to stay on XP, such as legacy software, ensure that security is as good as it can be with firewalls, antivirus measures etc.
- If there is no reason to stay on XP upgrade to Windows 8. Most PC’s running XP will not have the necessary drivers for Windows 8 so the best move is to get a new computer with Windows 8 pre-loaded.
- It should also be noted that end of life for Server 2003 R2 comes at 14 July, 2015. Since they are roughly the same OS, based on the same kernel, businesses should start planning now.
Solution: Please call us if you need to start planning for migrations away from Server 2003 and Windows XP.