While newer stuff usually carries a lot of appeal, there are some things in life that prove otherwise. Take operating systems, for example. Cybercriminals rarely bother with new versions, unless, of course, they come with several inherent flaws.
But Microsoft has pegged most such flaws in its modern operating platforms.
The company, however, continues its campaign to convince Windows XP users to switch from the old platform, and upgrade to a newer version well before the official retirement date of April 8, 2014.
New statements from Redmond continue to drive home the point that newer software is not just better, it is also a lot more secure than old versions of Windows.
Holly Stewart, a Microsoft spokesperson, claimed that Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 were far less appeal to cybercriminals due to the fact that they are new — meaning, everyone expects these new platforms to pack the latest security technologies:
“Newer software is less appealing to cybercriminals. Advanced technology is harder to exploit, and there’s been a long list of platform security improvements. XP, however, is not equipped to provide these innovations.”
Microsoft has indeed improved security in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 — both modern operating systems come with a built in antivirus, along with newer technologies that keep malware and hacker attacks away.
This, obviously, is not the case for Windows XP, as noted above.
And the retirement is only going to make things more difficult for users that stick with the aging OS, as it will be vulnerable to all sorts of attacks from cybercriminals trying to exploit flaws that will no longer be patched by Microsoft.
