As of April 8^th, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Windows XP. This will render the 12 year old operating system extremely vulnerable to malware.

What you should know

• Emsisoft will continue to provide support for Emsisoft Anti-Malware on Windows XP until April 2016. When the time comes, we may extend protection even further.
• Even with our extended protection, your Windows XP computer will still be vulnerable to an attack. If someone discovers a flaw in the operating system and decides to exploit it, Microsoft will not issue a patch.
• An estimated 25-40% of the world’s computers still run on Windows XP. After April 8^th, attackers will therefore have a large, easy target.

What you can do

Emsisoft recommends that anyone still running Windows XP migrate to a newer OS as soon as possible. Those who continue to use XP after April 8^th will be at a much higher risk of falling prey to malware infection than users running Microsoft-supported operating systems.

It is also worth noting that April 8^th coincides with Microsoft’s monthly “Patch Tuesday”, the term the company has given to the second Tuesday of every month, where they release security updates for all of their operating systems. In addition to being the last “Patch Tuesday” XP will ever see, the upcoming update will also repair the Microsoft Word and Outlook RTF zero day that emerged late last month.

For more on “The Death of Windows XP”, we’d also like to encourage readers to have a look at our company’s initial statement, which we released in January. There you will find our reasons for extending support, as well as a thorough explanation on why we believe it is essential to upgrade from XP to a newer operating system.

Have a Great (Malware-Free) Day.

Your Emsisoft Team.