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EPA
The Wannacry worm has blocked thousands of computers around the world
Fear of a massive global computer virus outbreak prompted Microsoft to release security updates for very old versions of its Windows software.
One of the fixes is Windows XP, which debuted in 2001 and which Microsoft ceased to support in 2014.
Microsoft said the patch was closing a hole that could be used to spread a virus.
Malicious hackers the operator could trigger a global outbreak like the Wannacry worm 2017, which has hit thousands of machines.
Risky connection
It was "very likely" that the vulnerability would be exploited if left unaddressed, writes Simon Pope, director of Microsoft Incident Response, in a bug blog.
He added that the bug could be exploited simply by connecting to a vulnerable machine via the Internet.
"Any future malware exploiting this vulnerability could spread from a vulnerable computer to a vulnerable computer in the same way as the worldwide WannaCry malware spread in 2017," he said.
This danger has resulted in the publication of a fix that closes the loophole in:
- Windows XP
- Windows 2003
- Windows 7
- Windows Server 2008
Market industry data suggest that about 3.75% of desktop computers currently use XP or its variants.
The Wired Technology Information Site said that the wide range of vulnerable versions of Windows meant that "millions" of machines were in danger.
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Pennsylvania
Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP, but many people and businesses still use it.
Although Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP more than five years ago, the latest published software hotfix for the operating system was released just prior to the Wannacry outbreak.
"We strongly recommend that all affected systems (…) be updated as quickly as possible," said Mr. Pope.
Microsoft said that there was no evidence that cybercriminals were currently exploiting this loophole.
People and organizations using Windows 8 or 10 were not at risk, Microsoft said.
Graham Cluley, independent security expert, said the creation of the fix for XP showed that the threat of a virulent worm was "serious".
Many old and vulnerable systems were still connected to the Internet in a "risky" way, he said, urging users to make quick updates.
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