As of today, Microsoft will cease all support for customers with Windows XP installed. For XP users this means no more security patches, even for newly-discovered Trojans, viren etc – an untenable situation for most XP owners. Many will simply replace their very old hardware.
When Microsoft releases a security update, security researchers and criminals more often than not “reverse engineer” the security update so they can see exactly which specific section of code contains the weakness which the update is trying to fix. They then try to develop code which lets them exploit this exact weakness on systems that do not have the security update installed on them – i.e. in many cases Windows XP.
They also try to see if this weakness exists on other versions of Windows too, so not just Windows XP. Microsoft of course is aware of this and Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) tries to counter it by releasing security updates for all affected versions simultaneously. However, after today anyone who continues to use Windows XP will not benefit from this protection anymore. In fact, as soon as Microsoft releases security updates for supported versions of Windows after the 8th April, attackers will reverse engineer those updates, find the weaknesses and immediately test Windows XP to see if it too has those weaknesses. If it does, they will develop code to exploit it.
And remember: there will never be a security update for Windows XP to address these weaknesses! Windows XP will be open to attack indefinitely from today onwards. In order to protect the integrity of your systems, you need to keep the number of systems running unsupported Windows versions to an absolute minimum.
We can help
Thankfully there is an easy way to resolve this: the Migration Kit for Windows 8. With just a few clicks, you’ll be able to transfer all your data and programs onto a new operating system or computer. This is not only easy and quick but also secure because as part of the Migration Kit for Windows 8, you’ll also be getting the multiple award-winning O&O DiskImage. O&O DiskImage will create a complete image of your system prior to migration, so that your familiar IT environment will be available to you whenever you need it.
Many customers have already started to replace their old XP systems before time runs out. Don’t take any chances with your data and operating systems. For just $29.99 you can move everything from one system to another easily and safely – and afterwards continue using our backup and recovery product, O&O DiskImage.
To read more about the Migration Kit for Windows 8, visit our website: http://www.oo-software.com/en/products/migrationkit or send us an e-mail to sales@oo-software.com We will be delighted to help you out.
