April 8, 2014 marked the day when Microsoft ended its support - after 13 years - for one of its most successful OS ever, Windows XP. Since you are likely to be one of the millions of users this move has left guessing whether it is the beginning of the end when it comes to privacy security, in this article we would like to address the most important privacy concerns surrounding the issue. But before doing so, we would like to issue an official statement for our customers using Windows XP.
East-Tec continues to provide support for Windows XP customers
We would like to confirm that the company is committed to keep providing top-level privacy protection and support for its customers running XP PCs. Before releasing new product versions, or updated definition files, we thoroughly test them to make sure that they work properly on XP PCs. This applies to both 32, and 64 bit versions of the OS, so your privacy will be guaranteed on your XP computer for many years to come.
What does end of support mean for those keep using XP?
If you would like to stick with the OS you have become familiar with, there are some important privacy facts you should pay attention to in the new era.
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According to the official Microsoft statement:
(After April 8, 2014) There will be no more security updates or technical support for the Windows XP operating system. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware and help keep users and their data safer. PCs running Windows XP after April 8, 2014, should not be considered to be protected. Anti-virus software will also not be able to fully protect you once Windows XP itself is unsupported
. In other words, your PC will be increasingly exposed to harmful viruses, spyware and malicious software that can steal your personal information. -
Microsoft also stopped supporting Internet Explorer 8, so if you use that browser to surf the web, you expose your PC to increased cyber threats. We recommend you to start using a safer browser, or run a daily data wipe with east-tec Eraser to get rid of all your sensitive Internet tracks malware could exploit.
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Microsoft Security Essentials will receive no more updates. If you have relied on the service for comprehensive protection against malware threats, please be aware that your PC can not be considered protected anymore.
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If you would like to go on handling your emails with Outlook Express, we recommend you to move its database into an encrypted, protected safe. Since the program is part of the original Windows XP OS, it will not receive updates any more. This means that emails you handle with Outlook Express will be exposed to third party attacks to to a greater degree.
While experts debate about the volume of expected increase in malware threats, there is one fact you should be aware of: XPs will be much more prone to catching malware infections than higher OS versions, for instance, Windows 8. (Some experts say that malware infection rate will be over 80% higher on XP PCs that on Windows 8). The point is that cybercriminals will definitely try to exploit the vulnerabilities in computers running XP now that Microsoft stopped issuing security updates.
How can our products safeguard your privacy if you keep using XP?
There are two important ways the East-Tec products can help you in the face of increased malware threats with our new XP Privacy Pack.
east-tec Eraser rids your computer from sensitive Internet and PC activity traces that could lead malware to your confidential data. This is especially crucial if you are using Internet Explorer 8 because it will lack fundamental security updates. The basic idea is that there is nothing to steal from a clean system. The software destroys your browsing history, online transaction traces, social networking traces, Internet banking traces, chat conversation traces, saved passwords, credit card and shipping address info, download history, cookies, cache, etc, and traces of using over 250 applications. It can also securely remove your private photos, tax filing, medical history, trade secret, etc, and any other files/folders you don't wish to keep on your PC any longer.
east-tec SafeBit offers your locally stored data unparalleled protection by keeping viruses trojans, keyloggers and hackers away from it. The software lets you create virtual drives that behave like large safes. As soon as you place your confidential files/folders into such a safe, the data gets encrypted real-time, using the most advanced government standard algorithm, the AES Rijndael. Even though the safe keeps your sensitive data encoded, protected and hidden at all times, it lets you work with the data just like you normally do. east-tec SafeBit achieves it by displaying your data in plain text format to you, but only to you. If any other parties attempted to open your safe, they would be asked to provide the proper password, which is only known to you. As long as you keep your password a secret, there is no way unauthorized parties can crack the shield of your safe. But even if you lose your password, and it falls into the wrong hands, the safe guarantees such an advanced encoding to your data that it would take lifetimes for hackers to crack it using brute force computing methods. Therefore, data stored in the safes created by east-tec SafeBit is perfectly protected.
(Note: If you want to keep using Outlook Express, please make sure you move your database into a safe to avoid malware exposure in the vulnerable service.)
We do hope this article has covered hot topics surrounding the Windows XP end of support issue, regarding privacy security concerns. We are sure that if you avail of the protection our products offer you, your privacy will be secure whether you stay with, or migrate from Windows XP.