Windows XP Phaseout Puts 13 Million PCs At Risk In Japan, Says Experts

Above, a Japanese ATM kiosk. Most of the world's ATMs will be
vulnerable to attack due to the phaseout. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Did you know that Microsoft is going to stop supporting Windows XP operating systems in April?  Yes, it's true, and many (and I mean MANY) personal and business computers around the world will be vulnerable to attacks and viruses.

Japan's personal and business computers that are operating on Windows XP will be likewise vulnerable.

According to The Japan Times:

More than 13 million personal computers in Japan will be exposed to higher risk of virus and other attacks starting in mid-April, experts warn. 

These computers are still running the Windows XP operating system, which Microsoft Corp. will stop supporting entirely on April 9. 

An estimated 7.23 million Windows XP-based PCs are still in use by companies, accounting for 20 percent of all PCs in Japan. Migration to newer operating systems, such as Windows 8.1, has been slow, especially at small and midsize firms, because managers are either unaware of the problem or want to avoid the cost of updating.

Windows XP was introduced in 2001 (hard to believe it has been that long, since my now-discarded Acer laptop was bought in 2007).

Thank goodness my main computers are based on Windows 7 (which is a better operating system than Windows 8) and oldest computer is on a Windows 98 system that is no longer a target to attacks and viruses (I just use it for word processing anyway).

To read the full story, go here.