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微软正式终止对XP的安全服务

Support for the venerable Windows XP operating system ends this Tuesday.

本周四，微软对XP操作系统的安全服务将终止。

It means that there will be no more official security updates and bug fixes for the operating system from Microsoft.

Some governments have negotiated extended support contracts for the OS in a bid to keep users protected.

Security firms said anyone else using the 13-year-old software would be at increased risk of infection and compromise by cyber-thieves.

Old code

Statistics suggest 20-25% of all users have stuck with XP despite the fact that there have been three major releases of Windows since its debut in 2001.

Some of those existing XP users have struck deals to get security fixes from Microsoft while they complete their migration away from the ageing code.

The UK government has signed a £5.5m deal for extended support. Similarly the Dutch government has signed a "multi-million euro" deal to obtain help for the 40,000 PCs running XP used by the nation's civil servants.

Anyone currently running Windows XP already faced a disproportionate risk of falling victim to malware, said Dave Emm, a senior research analyst at security firm Kaspersky.

"Our data indicates that less than one fifth of our customers run Windows XP but more than a quarter of infections are Windows XP-based," he said.