Microsoft Is Ending Support For Windows XP Next Month, 95% Of Worlds ATMs Still Run It

Microsoft is ending its support for Windows XP next month, and about time. But a troubling fact is that 95% of the worlds ATMs are still running Windows XP. This means the already vulnerable machines will be even more vulnerable after next month.

Microsoft is pulling the plug on Windows XP on 8 April, but will continue to support its security products through July 2015. However, the company has warned, “the effectiveness of antimalware solutions on out-of-support operating systems is limited.”

It’s bad enough if a moderately skilled hacker can go around withdrawing cash for free, but peoples bank details also become vulnerable to attackers.

Many banks are working on upgrading their ATMs, but I feel it may have been a little too long to wait.

The newer fleet of advanced ATMs will be capable of upgrading their machines to a newer version of Windows through their network. On the other hand, older ATMs will need to install the new version on the machines one by one.

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