Security News Video shows exactly why you shouldn't run unsupported Windows and stick to 10/11

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Content source

https://www.neowin.net/news/video-shows-exactly-why-you-shouldnt-run-unsupported-windows-and-stick-to-1011/

A video that conducts an experiment on how Windows XP, which received its last update ten years ago, would fare in 2024, was uploaded.

In the said YouTube video, the publisher, Eric Parker, ran Windows XP in a vulnerable state by disabling Firewall and Defender; and within minutes, there already was suspicious activity. Malware was starting to get hold of this system and after two hours, the malware had substantially increased their foothold on the PC.

Digging through some of the malware, the YouTuber found files that tried to act legit with one of them being made by Microsoft ("Microsoft compilation" to be precise and not Microsoft Corporation), and another by Google. The one by Microsoft compilation was also named svchost.exe to fool a potential victim.

Finally, after a while, Malwarebytes was installed and was made to scan this Windows XP PC which ended up detecting eight malicious files in total.

Tests like these demonstrate how much Windows security has improved over time. A Windows 11 or 10 PC without a firewall and an anti-virus would not immediately be hammered down by malware of all sorts.

Video shows exactly why you shouldn't run unsupported Windows and stick to 10/11

Some folks love the older retro stuff from the bygone days, like Windows 95 or Windows XP. However, there are dangers to doing it and a video shows what could happen when you run such an OS.

www.neowin.net

 

[trott3r]

Would of been interesting if he did it behind a router and window xp firewall.

 

[Andy Ful]

Such a quick infection was possible many years ago (no router). Of course, using Windows XP under the router would be dangerous today due to software & system vulnerabilities (even with an installed AV + Firewall).

 

[wat0114]

Would of been interesting if he did it behind a router and window xp firewall.

Just sitting idle with no user interaction, I would guess nothing would happen, since the router and Windows firewall should block all network ports. Years ago almost immediately after freshly installing XP pre-SP2 I was infected by a worm, either the Blaster or Sasser worm, because I was behind only a cable modem, no router.