Win XP past Apr 2014... (was: Will XP be supported until 2019?)

[tomasz86]

I actually found the last ones but they were just for IE6 SP1 (I think it was Novemeber 2012). So they're there. This isn't something Microsoft should keep close to it's chest though. This should be something that's well known.

I guess they can't say that Windows 2000 is EOL and "officially" release security updates at the same time. It's better to have them released, even if it's done in kind of a "semi-official" manner

Additionally, there should have been way more updates if this were a comprhensive set of hotfixes. Being that XP and 2KPro share a wealth of similarities, you'd figure that the same vulnerabilities would need patching.

There are more components in XP than in 2000 so it's normal that there are XP patches that do not apply to Windows 2000 at all. You seem to be right though that only a part of the post-EOL updates is available in the ISOs. I'm guessing that they included only the most important patches such as the IE5/6 Cumulative Updates, etc. The other ones were available only for those who paid for the Custom Support.

A couple of posts ago, I was told that I seemed unable to be reassured that running an unsupported OS would be safe. One thought that occurred to me since that time tomasz86. Do you still perform online banking and other secure stuff online with Windows 2000?

I've been using Windows XP for several months as I have to use the newer IE (explained in details in the USP5 thread) but I have personally never experienced any issues that were caused by a particular OS being insecure. The last time I had a problem was a few years ago when my computer got infected by a virus that had been brought on a USB stick from a library. In my view, if it's a home computer then I'd not really worry too much (as long as the user knows what he or she's doing, doesn't click on suspicious links, etc.). The vast majority of those security related issues seem to be a result of user errors. Edited February 26, 2014 by tomasz86

[dencorso]

+1

[bphlpt]

Saw this over in the Windows 8 Deeper Impressions thread and just had to pass it along here.

Windows 8 is the most vulnerable Windows OS, you can thank Flash for that

If you are wondering why Windows 8 tops the charts, even though Microsoft touts the platform as more secure than its predecessors, the answer is quite simple; Flash. Because Flash is now baked into the modern instance of IE, any Flash vulnerability can now be tied into Windows 8 as well.

Which, as I understand it, is another way of saying that, in this case, approximately one-third of the vulnerabilities of the Windows 8.x OS for 2013 is probably attributed to a single program that until Windows 8 was an external program, and is still in a way an external program since "Microsoft is not directly responsible for the Flash code". And for older OS, updates for that external program will continue to come directly from Adobe regardless of which older OS you happen to be running, even if you are running an "unsupported" XP.

Also, the vast majority of the vulnerabilities for all OS are attributed to programs other than the OS, and are constant across all OS. The OS is only "responsible" for less than 10%. And since the OS can be "shielded" by means of routers, firewalls, anti-virus and other anti-malware software, and user attention to what the heck they are doing, then the choice of OS, from a security perspective, becomes more and more a moot point. At least in my opinion.

Cheers and Regards

Edited February 28, 2014 by bphlpt

[Dave-H]

Were the patches that were rolled out by Microsoft this week the last ones for Windows XP, or will there actually be another set on April 8th, which is the second Tuesday of the month?

[Guest]

Microsoft will officially release its last 32-bit XP security updates, if there are any, on April 8th, despite what you may hear elsewhere.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/msrc/p/february-2014-security-bulletin-q-a.aspx

Q: When will be the last day Microsoft provide updates for Office 2003 and Windows XP? Will April 8, 2014 be the last time we receive updates unless we purchase extended support?

A: The April 8th bulletin release would include security updates for Office 2003 and Windows XP, should there be any vulnerabilities that affect these products. Microsoft will stop providing Office 2003 and Windows XP Security updates only after the April Security bulletin release.

Edited March 13, 2014 by 5eraph

[Dave-H]

Thanks!

[dencorso]

[dencorso]

September 2014, according to netmarketshare: