Microsoft ended support for much of XP in April, 2014. However, it continued to give malware support for the 14 year old system. Wednesday was the last day for virus warnings and updates for the popular Windows XP operating system.

In spite of the lack of support, there are roughly 180 million computers world wide that continue to use XP. Even the Navy continues to use it.

As have many others, security expert Graham Cluley said that continuing to use XP is “a risky business."

Microsoft said: “If you continue to use Windows XP now that support has ended, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Internet Explorer 8 is also no longer supported, so if your Windows XP PC is connected to the Internet and you use Internet Explorer 8 to surf the web, you might be exposing your PC to additional threats. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimise for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter more apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP.”

Microsoft is not the only one abandoning XP. Third party vendors are also cutting support. Oracle is ending Java support for Windows XP this month.

Source: SCMagazine