Hackers targeting vulnerable Windows XP usersApril 12, 2014 - 16:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Microsoft officially abandoned Windows XP this week and urged customers to upgrade, which means no more security updates and patches for the majority of users still running the operating system. According to research carried out over the weekend by security firm Malwarebytes, there are already plenty of scams and dodgy downloads that XP users should be steering clear of, Digital Trends reports. “XP may be dead and gone in terms of updates, but that doesn’t mean pitfalls and boobytraps have followed suit,” wrote Christopher Boyd, Malware Intelligence Analyst at Malwarebytes, on the company blog. Boyd and his team have discovered a variety of different threats that masquerade as useful security programs, key generators and setup files for XP. One of the XP-related downloads spotted by the firm was for a driver update suite that users have to pay to register. It scored a 5/51 on Malwarebytes’ internal scoring system, which makes it a low-level threat, but Boyd advises against using unverified third-party applications to plug the holes that Microsoft has left. While commercial packages can help protect a copy of XP, users are recommended to look for products that are well-established and extensively reviewed by technology press outlets. Boyd concludes: “Take care with the last minute surge of XP themed downloads and offers — whether on social networks, forums or video sharing sites a lot of what you’re going to see over the coming weeks will probably not do you any favours to install or sign up to.” Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |