AVAST Says That Windows XP Users Are Six Times More Likely To Get Attacked

March 17, 2014
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press release today reveal some interesting internal numbers that the antivirus vendors has collected from users that have installed its solutions. Sure, these are just estimates based on past data, but this much is sure that Windows XP is inherently less secure than some of the newer versions of Microsoft’s operating systems:

“Our telemetry data shows that XP users are 6 times more likely to get attacked than Windows 7 users and once Microsoft stops issuing patches, this can worsen. In addition to Windows XP itself being a security risk, Internet Explorer on Windows XP poses an even larger threat. The latest version of the browser available on Windows XP is version 8, making it outdated and lacking a number of security improvements available in its later versions.”
The company further notes that some 21.5 percent of its Windows XP users are running Internet Explorer, which leaves them open to more attacks — Microsoft will also stop providing updates for the supported versions of IE on Windows XP. Ultimately, the views expressed here are not that much different from what Redmond continues to highlight, and the statistics are also not too far off from what other market research firms put up. It all comes down to the Windows XP user base now, in this final, final stretch.]]>

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Mike Johnson is a writer for The Redmond Cloud - the most comprehensive source of news and information about Microsoft Azure and the Microsoft Cloud. He enjoys writing about Azure Security, IOT and the Blockchain.

All Comments

  • Woah! As if Microsoft needed anything else to make people switch after the numbers that you released today regarding the rise in Windows 7 sales. This news will definitely add another boost to those numbers!

    Emily W March 17, 2014 1:32 pm Reply
  • Is this only without the security help or in general? If it’s in general, I’d be amazed. The perception has always been XP is much more secure. Microsoft loves this either way.

    Jake March 17, 2014 1:53 pm Reply
    • While I agree that’s the perception, I think logic would say that the newer OS would be safer especially as time moves on and Microsoft pays less attention to older OS.

      Wayne S March 17, 2014 2:04 pm Reply
      • Great point, Wayne. I think there’s perception and reality. While I see Jake’s point that XP is viewed as safer, if you really think about it, it makes perfect sense that Windows 7 is much more secure at this point.

        Sally Black March 17, 2014 2:23 pm Reply
  • Its true , no one can deny it….

    Aaditya Menon March 18, 2014 4:52 am Reply

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