Windows XP after April 2014

[max789]

Hi, all

If a Windows XP machine is deployed only to run a few legitimate programs, say, stock trading software from eTrade, and never used to browse the internet, would it be safe to continue running it after April 2014?

The computer is behind a hardware firewall and connected to the internet to obtain real-time stock price data. It's otherwise fully patched, security-wise.

 

[shortylickens]

Yeah its fine.
The OS isnt going to shut down or anything, it just wont receive free support from Microsoft.
Companies with large collections of XP and paid contracts will get special consideration for as long as they keep paying.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Hi, all

If a Windows XP machine is deployed only to run a few legitimate programs, say, stock trading software from eTrade, and never used to browse the internet, would it be safe to continue running it after April 2014?

The computer is behind a hardware firewall and connected to the internet to obtain real-time stock price data. It's otherwise fully patched, security-wise.

If you're using trading software, you're connected to the internet and thus vulnerable to attacks based on your IP address, domain etc. You don't have to actually click links to get malware, it just gets on much faster that way.

With that said, you should be fine running a Windows XP PC after April 2014. It won't be getting new updates, but it should be pretty secure for awhile, especially if you run a good antivirus on there.

 

[fleshconsumed]

If you're using trading software, you're connected to the internet and thus vulnerable to attacks based on your IP address, domain etc. You don't have to actually click links to get malware, it just gets on much faster that way.

With that said, you should be fine running a Windows XP PC after April 2014. It won't be getting new updates, but it should be pretty secure for awhile, especially if you run a good antivirus on there.

Unless he's running IPV6, which he probably isn't because he is on WinXP, then most likely he is behind NAT, i.e. he doesn't have any public IPs. Of course there might be an off chance he's paying for public IPs from his ISP, but most likely he's behind NAT.

 

[Cerb]

Hi, all

If a Windows XP machine is deployed only to run a few legitimate programs, say, stock trading software from eTrade, and never used to browse the internet, would it be safe to continue running it after April 2014?

The computer is behind a hardware firewall and connected to the internet to obtain real-time stock price data. It's otherwise fully patched, security-wise.

Use it only for its main purpose, NATed, not using it for any random/personal web browsing, keep an A/V client on it up to date, and keep any necessary plugins up to date. Then, you'll be fine.

 

[glugglug]

Nowadays most people are vulnerable to attack even from behind a NAT.

2 immediate examples of huge holes that will cause a ton of XP machines to get infected this April:

• UPnP - the majority of SOHO routers have a poor implementation of UPnP where the router can be instructed to open a tunnel through the NAT from the WAN side as well as the LAN side - check yours here: http://upnp-check.rapid7.com/
• IPV6 - By default, being on IPV6 means you have a public IP; since it makes there no longer a shortage of IP addresses, I guess the designers decided we didn't need the security that NAT adds anymore.

 

[nemesismk2]

I decided to make one of my windows xp computers into a ubuntu computer and the other windows xp will stay with windows xp just for playing old games offline.