World’s ATMs still running Windows XP—and wildly out of date

Fox News ^ | January 17, 2014

[Olog-hai]

Nearly all of the ATMs in the world are running the Windows XP operating system, introduced by Microsoft 13 years ago—and incredibly out of date, as any tech enthusiast will tell you.

On April 8, Microsoft will officially end the tech support for the aging OS, which was replaced by Windows Vista in 2007, Windows 7 in 2009, Windows 8 in 2012 and Windows 8.1 in 2013. […]

If an ATM isn’t upgraded, it will continue to function, experts said. Withdrawals, deposits, and other transactions will work as they did before. But the machines will be more vulnerable to cyber robbers wielding malware and other attacks as time goes on. …

[usconservative]

I’ve heard that it was likely the Russian mafia that was involved ....

That's the rumor. The Russian Mafia has a history of involvement in stealing and selling credit card numbers.

[Democrat_media]

buy an external dvd/cd drive that connects through USB

but i would just install a copy of XP again if need be , win 7 might not be compatible with your laptop. and you might need the XP that is for small notebooks (forgot what it is called)

[Jonty30]

Canada has been using the chips in their cards for the last 6 or 7 years.

[Uncle Chip]

Of course, the Space Shuttle was kind of a reverse ATM. You put money in it every day, but no money ever came back out.

LOL -- So they must use Windows PX -- not Windows XP.

[MV=PY]

"BTW: I read the security analysis/write-up on the Target Retal Store breach yesterday "

Thanks. I've been researching this.

Will you please supply a link or two?

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I disagree.

Windows 8(.1) is much nicer.

The thing is, it is different. But it’s good.

[usconservative]

Happy to. Krebson Security has a nice write-up in two parts that's pretty easy to follow.

Threat Expert one of Symantec's subsidiaries also has a write-up posted. They did the initial analysis of the malware.

[usconservative]

I did not know that, thanks. My experience is primarily in the US and EMEA banks .... never had to deal with Canadian banks.

[usconservative]

The overwhelming majority of people who complain about Windows 8.x typically fall into one or more of the following catetories:

They resist change;
They've never actually seen Windows 8.x;
They're repeating what their friends tell them;
They've recoiled in horror at the Metro UI (who hasn't?);
They don't know that customizations are available to make Windows 8.x easier to use;
They're just blanket Microsoft haters;
They say they'll use WinXP until it's pried from their cold dead hands (without understanding the security implications of that statement);

Anyone who's actually TRIED and USED Windows 8.x and gotten past the horrible Metro Interface are typically impressed with how much faster Windows 8.x is than Windows XP or Windows 7 and assuming they're running supported hardware will testify to how rock solid Windows 8 is.

I started my career in PC's dating back to Dos 1.0 and through every version of Windows, and now also have a Mac which I primarily use for Video editing. Have to say, aside from the Metro interface, Windows 8.x is pretty darn good. Once one loads ClassicShell or Start8 on Windows 8.x it's functionally as usable -- if not moreso -- than Windows 7 and far, far faster.

I run an 8-Core AMD 4.2Ghz PC with 32gb of memory and a Samsung EVO 840 series SSD. My boot time with Windows 8 is just under 17 seconds from the time I push the power button until the time I'm logged in and on the Desktop screen.

Same config with Windows 7 I couldn't get the boot time under @35 seconds.

Applications run MUCH faster on Windows 8 than Windows 7 also. Load time for Microsoft Word on Windows 8 is well under 2 seconds. Sometimes I think Word's already on the screen as the second mouse click is on its way up (unpressed.)

Windows 7, Microsoft Word loaded in about 3 seconds.

There's just no comparison in the speed with Windows 8 v. Windows 7.

I think most people would be surprised to learn that Windows 8.x is rapidly becoming the gaming PC OS of choice due to its speed and efficiency.

My two sons both have AMD Quad-Core 3.8Ghz PC's w/8gb of memory, SSD drives and GEForce GT660 video cards w/2gb memory. The motherboards are all Asus M5A97 R2.O's.

Windows 7, Battlefield 4 the max FPS they could achieve on ULTRA setting was under 75FPS.

Windows 8, same hardware config w/Battlefield 4 they're hitting 90-95FPS easily on ULTRA. If they back down to High they're over 100fps.

I think that right there tells you pretty much all you need to know about Windows 7 v. Windows 8.x and how much faster and more efficient with resources the Windows 8 kernel is.

(it's ugly-ass Metro UI asiide...)

[bert]

The solution is to load the ap that transforms the Windows 8 entry back to the Windows 7 look and feel

[usconservative]

Classic Shell does just that.

[Leaning Right]

I never had an WinMe machine.

I had a WinMe and ran it up until 2009. No problems at all.

And for what it's worth, I'm the president of the Worldwide WinMe Fan Club. I'm also the only person who cared to join the Worldwide WinMe Fan Club.

[MV=PY]

Much obliged!

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Good post. Thanks for your feedback.

[usconservative]

I'm also the only person who cared to join the Worldwide WinMe Fan Club.

Note to self: Don't eat cereal while reading Leaning Right's posts to prevent milk and cheerio's from coming out nose..........

[entropy12]

That is very useful information, Thank you.
I will forward it to my daughter. Thanks!

[discostu]

Things that are working are NOT out of date.

[discostu]

While a good geek would want specialized stuff (which of course would also require specialized skills to work with) a good project manager would say “I can get embedded XP boxes for a couple hundred bucks a pop, every programmer out there knows how to write for Windows, and my QA team would be able to test the software on any PC”. Sometimes the geekiest solution is not the best solution.

[entropy12]

Wow, that is amazing situation in Spain.
Obviously her computer is functioning since she connects
via ethernet cable for internet. I advised her to visit
the internet provider to figure out the wireless problem.
Thank you for your input.