NSA recommends users ditch Windows XP

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by hawki, May 3, 2011.

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  1. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    NSA recommends users ditch Windows XP

    May 2, 2011, 2:03 PM EST

    The National Security Agency (NSA) is advising users to upgrade from Windows XP to either Windows Vista or Windows 7. Furthermore, the organization says that when possible, choosing a 64-bit version of Windows is recommended. We at TechSpot wholeheartedly agree.

    The NSA's latest recommendation comes as part a 10-page document titled "Best Practice for Securing a Home Network" (PDF). Interestingly, and unsurprisingly, Linux is not mentioned at all. Here is the crux of the advice:

    Migrate to a Modern OS and Hardware Platform

    Both Windows 7 and Vista provide substantial security enhancements over earlier Windows workstation operating systems such as XP. Many of these security features are enabled by default and help prevent many common attack vectors. In addition, implementing the 64-bit mode of the OS on a 64-bit hardware platform substantially increases the effort of an adversary to attain a system or root compromise. For any Windows-based OS, verify that Windows Update is configured to provide updates automatically.

    Although Windows Vista and Windows 7 are used by 35 percent of users around the world, Windows XP still trumps them both with 53 percent market share, according to the latest April 2011 data. This is very unfortunate given that XP is a decade-old operating system.

    Microsoft knows this and is making its own attempts to woo users off the platform. The software giant still supports those using XP, despite its hate for the ancient OS.

    On April 14, 2009, Microsoft retired Mainstream Support for XP, and with it, support for IE6. The company is not planning to retire Extended Support for the operating system until April 8, 2014. If the company ends up releasing XP SP4 (highly unlikely), it will retire support for SP3 (released in April 200:cool: two years later, or in April 2014, whichever comes first. In short, Windows XP will continue to be officially supported by Microsoft for about three more years. Despite the support options, Redmond still wants XP and IE6 to die.

    http://www.techspot.com/news/43579-nsa-recommends-users-ditch-windows-xp.html
     
  2. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    :D Well they would, seeing as they "helped" :D MS with both OS's before they were released. Wonder why, NOT :p

    It wouldn't do for people to have security etc Apps in place that won't work on Vista/W7 that might interfere with covert etc intrusions :D

    That's my take on it anyway ;)
     
  3. Daveski17

    Daveski17 Registered Member

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    Probably sound advice, but as ever, we have debated this for many moons here on Wilders. Like most people, I believe that users will update/upgrade their hardware when they can afford it. Not all countries are as affluent as the US. Of course, if you want to be completely safe from malware attacks you could always hide out in a mansion somewhere with no Internet/Phone connections & surround yourself by 10 foot walls. You may not be as safe as you think even there though ...
     
  4. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    :D = BL, allegedly ;)
     
  5. SweX

    SweX Registered Member

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    And end up dead :p

    Anyway, NSA should have recommended some other OS that needs a kick in the back to gain market share.
    Such as Mac OS X, or Linux. :) .
     
  6. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    There's XP Mode available on Windows 7 Pro and above.
     
  7. bellgamin

    bellgamin Registered Member

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    I won't take NSA's bait, mate.
    Win 7 is far from great.
    IMO it has too much freight.
    With a booty so wide it needs a license plate
    Ergo, I shall wisely await...
    The impending arrival of Windows 8. :shifty:
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    In the meantime, my XP-based box is fecund but chaste. Impregnable. :thumb:
     
  8. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    How do you know if it'll be better? This time it's not an enhancement of the previous version, but an entirely new one. More likely to have problems.
     
  9. acuariano

    acuariano Registered Member

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    and after a month of windows 8..........patches.
     
  10. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    I always love the latest & greatest :D
     
  11. Sully

    Sully Registered Member

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    Lately I have been asking myself this question..

    If I don't do any online transactions and have no passwords/#s stored that are of any value, what exactly do I have that I need to really worry about?

    This excludes important data, because if it ain't backed up, it ain't safe from either malicious activity or a dead harddrive.

    If I then make sure any online transactions are completely safe, would I still need Vista or win7? Do I have anything to lose at all except the time it takes to reformat or reimage?

    What is it that the "majority" has that means so much they should switch to a different OS that could be compromised the same as an old flavor?

    Sul.
     
  12. jonyjoe81

    jonyjoe81 Registered Member

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    Everyone is missing the big picture. The NSA (spy agency) wants everyone to use vista/seven. Is there perhaps an ulterior motive? Maybe vista/seven is easier for nsa to hack into. I'm surprise some people here in the forum actually agree with the nsa since the people in this forum are probably more paranoid than the average person in the street, I can see easily through nsa "friendly" advice.
    If you run XP bareback with no firewall/antivirus then they might have a point.
     
  13. Cutting_Edgetech

    Cutting_Edgetech Registered Member

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    I really like W7, but I want be ditching XP anytime soon. We just recently switched to W7 on some of our machines at work, but most of the machines at work don't have the hardware to support W7 so I don't see them replacing hundreds of PC's. That's only in my division. We have thousands of machines on the network.
     
  14. PJC

    PJC Very Frequent Poster

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    +1. :thumb:
     
  15. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    I might upgrade my hardware if the need arises, by my OS will stay the same, and it ain't Vista or 7. I want nothing to do with anything that the NSA has had their hand in.
     
  16. vasa1

    vasa1 Registered Member

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    Maybe the NSA could cook up their own OS ? Any takers?
     
  17. Daveski17

    Daveski17 Registered Member

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    I bet they've already got one ... ;)
     
  18. Osaban

    Osaban Registered Member

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    This exactly what happened to Osama Bin Laden.
     
  19. Daveski17

    Daveski17 Registered Member

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    No kidding ... ;)
     
  20. blacknight

    blacknight Registered Member

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    I'm going on to use XP SP3, despite I have also a Seven's license: I run XP with firewalll, HIPS..... - as I'd do if I used Seven - and I have no security problems.
     
  21. Fly

    Fly Registered Member

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    Sully:

    Privacy and security.

    I guess you probably don't have WiFi, but you are easier to track (geolocation) if you actually have it. If you have a non-wireless router ? I wouldn't be surprised if MAC addresses of those routers are shared/sold.

    What if your computer became part of a botnet ?
    What if somehow, someone put child porn on your computer ?
    Or both ?

    There are lots of ways to correlate data, what you have on your computer (or what you do with it) and other data (government, corporations).

    Whenever you hook up your computer to a network, you are at risk.

    I'm not worried about it :)

    But there is a risk.

    And I guess that the security agencies 'prefer' Windows 7 because it retains more data and perhaps because Windows 7 may have a backdoor or more likely, have a backdoor-like vulnerability.
     
  22. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Geesh, If NSA wants to buy me all new hardware, I'll bit.

    This paranoia is a riot. I use XP Pro SP3 and am not changing any time soon.

    I have a secure password on my router, use the most advanced encryption it has and have all my PC's secured with Sandboxie, OA, and Appguard.

    I chuckle a bit about the urgency we are given about keeping up to date, and in general I agree with that advice. But I can't help wondering, gee my computer is very secure on the monday before patch tuesday, and it suddenly and miraculously became in secure after patch tuesday unless I update.

    I've always lagged behind the patches to let others beta test them and being very busy lately, I haven't done the patching in a few months. Funny my computers are still secure, with no infections.

    With a bit of common sense and some the excellent software talked about here, I think XP can be every bit is secure.

    I also can't help note that as I read about problems everyone is having with some software, I get interested in testing and find oops it's x64. Hmm.

    NSA I'll pass.

    Pete

    Oh as a PS on the X64 thing. Yes there is a memory advantage. The XP box I am on right now has 4gb ram, so yes I can't use it all so I am limited. But wait, I can fire up a VM machine that I've given 1gb ram to use, and while it's running, I can run my futures charting software, Quickbooks, All of the Office 2010 programs I use, Paperport, and browse on the web, with no obvious performance hit. Yep, I am ram limited, but I can run anything I need.
     
  23. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    Re - NSA Operating Systems etc

    ALSO

    Don't get me started on the "infamous" NSAKEY in our comps :p
     
  24. Daveski17

    Daveski17 Registered Member

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    Hmmm ... this is all very interesting. The NSAKEY particularly. Personally, I've always loved conspiracy theories. o_O

    I believe that the NSA is one of the biggest intelligence gathering agencies in the world. Apparently they were so secretive that no one had really heard of them until comparatively recently.
     
  25. prius04

    prius04 Registered Member

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    Yeah, the NSA is a life-long friend and the DOJ is a life-long enemy. Good to know the various agencies of the U.S. government have open lines of communication. :rolleyes:
     
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