MS addresses zero-day flaw

Microsoft has had a change of heart and has promised to resolve a zero-day XP flaw that cyber-criminals – allegedly from China – are taking advantage of by targeting  organisations in the EU.

The fix means that the millions still using XP will be able to go on using the OS without falling victim to the recent exploitations.

Some experts, however, feel that Microsoft may come to regret its decision.

Speaking to SCMagazineUK.com, Brian Honan, boss of BH Consulting, said:

“This move by Microsoft to provide an ‘exception patch’ sends a confused message to those still on Windows XP. Their expectations may now be set to expect Microsoft to continue to provide exemption patches for future issues.

“This could delay the migration of many computers away from XP to more secure alternatives.”

One malware analyst, Christopher Boyd, feels the same way. He said that although it appears to be a logical move on the surface, it isn’t worth taking such a risk with the OS only recently having been put to bed.

Individual users may have a certain amount of loyalty towards the XP operating system, but businesses have no such luxury. When dealing with company data – and user data in particular – firms have far more responsibility in ensuring that sufficient security measures are taken. This may mean posting information security jobs, and having an expert in place to install the latest software and updates, and generally make sure that the system is as protected as possible.