Yes updates for Windows XP: Η Microsoft μόλις κυκλοφόρησε μια επείγουσα ενημερωμένη έκδοση για σχεδόν όλες τις εκδόσεις των Windows για να εμποδίσουν τις συνεχιζόμενες επιθέσεις με το ransomware της WannaCry (identified by Microsoft as Ransom: Win32/WannaCrypt).
So even users of Windows XP, and Windows Server & Hosting 2003 can download the security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog, even though the company has stopped supporting these versions.
Microsoft recommends that everyone update their systems as soon as possible given the increasing number of attacks.
The infections by WannaCry they first appeared in Europe yesterday, with targeted organizations in different countries. The British National Health System was severely hit by the ransomware, which began to spread in the United States late Friday.
The infection is based on vulnerability of Windows that was originally discovered by the NSA and leaked earlier this year by the group Shadow Brokers. Microsoft has explained that Windows versions that are still supported (Windows 7, 8.1 and 10) are safe with the latest updates installed.
On the other hand, the Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows 8 are no longer supported and have not received the most recent updates, so Microsoft has decided to publish this emergency update, given the scale of the attack.
“We also know that some of our customers are running versions of Windows that are no longer receiving mainstream support support. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι αυτοί οι πελάτες δεν θα έχουν λάβει την προαναφερθείσα ενημερωμένη έκδοση ασφαλείας που κυκλοφόρησε τον Μάρτιο. Δεδομένου του δυνητικού αντίκτυπου στους πελάτες και τις businesses τους, αποφασίσαμε να κυκλοφορήσουμε την ενημέρωση ασφαλείας για πλατφόρμες με προσαρμοσμένη υποστήριξη, Windows XP, Windows 8 και Windows Server 2003” αναφέρει η Microsoft.
"This decision was based on an assessment of the situation, keeping in mind the principle of protecting the ecosystem of maw customers as a whole."
The company goes on to say that some attacks use phishing tactics with malicious attachments, so users should avoid opening these files, especially if they come from unreliable or unknown sources.
Updates extraordinary for unsupported versions of Windows can be found in the following links:
Windows Server 2003 SP2 x64, Windows Server 2003 SP2 x86, Windows XP SP2 x64, Windows XP SP3 x86, Windows XP Embedded SP3 x86, Windows 8 x86, and Windows 8 x64.