In exactly 16 days, one in 10 active Irish PCs will officially become virus magnets. On April 8, Microsoft cuts off its security support for Windows XP, the operating system still used in 10.4 per cent of internet-connected PCs.
That means two things: (a) malware-makers will focus attention on Windows XP computers and (b) those who haven't bothered to upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8 will eventually get hit. Microsoft has been warning of this cut-off for five years. And yet thousands of Irish organisations – including banks and sensitive government departments – still have Windows XP.
I've been writing about this for 18 months. I've spoken to companies and semi-state bodies about why they haven't updated their machines, and a common thread has emerged.
* "Ah, Microsoft will never adhere to that – they'll back down."
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