Windows XP was released in 2001 and, soon after that, Microsoft announced it would support all its products for at least 10 years from the release date. However, in 2007, the company decided to extend support for XP to 8 April 2014, because it was still so widely used.
With only a day to go until support ends, estimates suggest that almost 1 in 5 personal computers still run XP. While consumers are entitled to carry on using XP for as long as they like – the software will not stop working – those who choose to do so will be much more vulnerable to cyber attacks.
This is because, every month, Microsoft has released a set of security patches to address any new vulnerabilities that may have been discovered.
The company was unwilling to reveal how many updates for Windows XP it currently issues each month but said that, between July 2012 and July 2013, Windows XP was an "affected product" in 45 Microsoft security bulletins.
The final "Patch Tuesday" for Windows XP will bring four bulletins, including a critical fix for a zero-day Microsoft Word vulnerability uncovered last week.
The final "Patch Tuesday" for Windows XP will bring four bulletins, including a critical fix for a zero-day Microsoft Word vulnerability uncovered last week.
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