With support ending, 95% of all ATMs are still on Windows XP

While Microsoft will end the support of Windows XP on the 8th of April this year, 95% of the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) is still on the outdated Operating System (OS). They are not entirely unsafe, as Microsoft offers extended support.

windows-XP-logo

ADVERTISEMENT

Some major banks have special deals with Microsoft, extending service with one year, hoping that buys them sufficient time to upgrade to Windows 7. Most banks won't upgrade to Windows 8 for unknown reasons. Upgrading to a newer version of Windows is a major undertaking.

Only in the United States, there's already 200,000 ATMs running on Windows XP and most of them require physical access and even a replacement of the computer inside. It would cost on average about $2500,-  to get an ATM machine upgraded. In the future, after the upgrade, it should become easier to remotely upgrade the ATMs.

Continuous usage of Windows XP is a serious threat, whenever Microsoft releases security patches for Windows Vista, 7 or 8 they can be reverse engineered by malware writers to find security holes also existing in Windows XP.

ADVERTISEMENT

No posts to display