Windows XP — the security risks
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More than a year has passed since support for the Windows XP operating system ended. In that time Windows 8, which never won much love from users, has been released, along with Windows 10, whose sales and spread around the world are only now gathering pace.
Windows XP, however, remains quite popular in various regions. So why did Microsoft end support for such a popular product? The company's specialists explain that supporting this OS makes no sense because of the large number of fundamental vulnerabilities in it.
Unfortunately, Microsoft Security Essentials will not help Windows XP users either, because the developer no longer releases security updates.
Nor should you count too heavily on other antivirus programs, since the absence of updates and patches for the operating system makes bypassing an antivirus easier.
The largest number of users with Windows XP on their computers is in Eastern Europe, and Ukraine tops that list — according to data from Bitdefender, 41.2%. Hungary came second with 37.5%, and Romania third, where 34% of computers run this operating system.
The reluctance to move to newer versions of Windows or to other operating systems is explained by the fact that old software will not run properly, and the work of many businesses and organisations depends on it. Unfortunately those arguments do not cancel out the security problem.
For an individual user the best option is to move to Linux, to newer versions of Windows or to another operating system, while businesses and organisations should count the risks of working with an outdated system that has no support from its maker.