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Bad mistake: This happens when you access the Internet unprotected with Windows XP
In 2001, Windows XP was released
© Eibner / Imago Images
In 2001, Windows XP was released. Around 23 years later, using it is no longer the best idea.
After Microsoft unleashed Windows ME, perhaps one of the worst operating systems in history, on home computers, the launch of Windows XP is eagerly awaited after the turn of the millennium. In October 2001 the time had come. The system was still supported until 2014, but it finally ended about ten years ago.
The dangers for Windows XP are still lurking on the Internet
The Canadian Eric Parker demonstrates in one what can happen if you contact the Internet with a newly set up system without any protective measures Youtube video. For the experiment, Parker disabled both the firewall and any antivirus software. As was common practice at the time, the virtual computer was connected directly to the Internet, without placing a router as an additional barrier between itself and the outside world.
The result is devastating: Within ten minutes, the first malware makes its way onto the system in the video, without Parker having been actively online. A quick investigation reveals that this is software of Russian origin.
The longer you expose your Windows installation to the Internet, the more malware finds its way in. In addition to the first malware, a piece of software that supposedly comes from Google is installed on the system a short time later.
Eight pests in a short time
A short moment after the first infection, Parker even gets an increase in users. As if by magic, an account called “Admina” suddenly appears on the virtual machine, which is even protected with a password. At the same time, he also finds an FTP server that would theoretically give attackers access to all data if there were any.
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Parker concludes the experiment by installing a virus scanner. The result: without much effort, eight malware programs installed themselves within a few hours, including several Trojans, adware and two so-called backdoor programs.
Since the market share of Windows XP is still 0.4 percent in Germany according to “Stattcounter”, the experiment should be seen as a warning. If you are dependent on using a computer with Windows XP due to old software, you should ideally no longer connect it to the Internet at all. If this is unavoidable, protective measures such as a router and up-to-date protection software should not be missing.