Security News Microsoft issues Emergency Update for Windows 8, XP and Server 2003

[Ink]

A day after a ransomware worm infected 75,000 machines in 100 countries, Microsoft is taking the highly unusual step of issuing patches that immunize Windows XP, 8, and Server 2003, operating systems the company stopped supporting as many as three years ago.

We also know that some of our customers are running versions of Windows that no longer receive mainstream support. That means those customers will not have received the above mentioned Security Update released in March. Given the potential impact to customers and their businesses, we made the decision to make the Security Update for platforms in custom support only, Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003, broadly available for download here.

This decision was made based on an assessment of this situation, with the principle of protecting our customer ecosystem overall, firmly in mind.

Get Security Update at Microsoft Update Catalog
More information at WannaCrypt ransomware worm targets out-of-date systems

 

[Weebarra]

This is a good move by MS, so many businesses still use XP and i didn't even know that they don't support Windows 8, why don't they support 8 when it's not really that old.

 

[brod56]

This is a good move by MS, so many businesses still use XP and i didn't even know that they don't support Windows 8, why don't they support 8 when it's not really that old.

They do not support Windows 8 because a free update for Windows 8.1 is available and highly recommended.

 

[Weebarra]

They do not support Windows 8 because a free update for Windows 8.1 is available and highly recommended.

Ah right, got it now, i just read that as W8 alltogether.

 

[Arequire]

I'm on the fence about this. I should be happy that Microsoft is willing to issue this update to these unsupported operating systems but I feel it incentivizes companies to continue using these OS's instead of upgrading to newer ones and reinforcing the notion that they'll still receive security updates if something as serious as WannaCrypt comes along in the future.

 

[Winter Soldier]

Well, considering the current scenario and the situation of emergency, cheers for MS.
Those who still are using XP and 8 at least got a little refresher of security.

 

[StriderHunterX]

I'm on the fence about this. I should be happy that Microsoft is willing to issue this update to these unsupported operating systems but I feel it incentivizes companies to continue using these OS's instead of upgrading to newer ones and reinforcing the notion that they'll still receive security updates if something as serious as WannaCrypt comes along in the future.

I consider this as a last "heads-up!" warning...

I've been actively tracking and monitoring our old PC inventory(I work in The hospitality industry) and have been pushing for Windows 7-10 upgrades(Our company software portfolio is fully compatible with Win10,as of right now)

While they think of me as a bit of a paranoid,we have eradicated most Windows XP stations from our network.The one that are still active will be patched ASAP.

 

[soccer97]

A day after a ransomware worm infected 75,000 machines in 100 countries, Microsoft is taking the highly unusual step of issuing patches that immunize Windows XP, 8, and Server 2003, operating systems the company stopped supporting as many as three years ago.

Get Security Update at Microsoft Update Catalog
More information at WannaCrypt ransomware worm targets out-of-date systems

This is very wise of Microsoft. As very firmly stated that this is due to extreme circumstances where there is a widespread, high-severity malware attack propagating through networks and disrupting 'critical' operations such as healthcare. They are releasing it to protect mainly all users and companies running current (supported) versions of their software (similar to herd immunity). With fewer infected PC's, there are less that can spread the malware to others.

Smart move (and a generous one to users of legacy software) from Microsoft. My hopes are that it does not provide a false sense of security. I have read questions from users on XP wanting to know if they are protected. It's kind of sad.