Ransom Demands

[mallorys_camera]

The massive malware attack that took out the UK’s health system yesterday and complicated life in 98 other countries around the globe (at last count) selectively targeted Windows XP.

Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP apparently.

Microsoft is essentially holding customers hostage: Upgrade to our new, more expensive operating system, or we’ll leave your computer vulnerable to hacker attacks!

I guess it’s cheaper to go with the Microsoft's extortion: Windows 10 retails for around $120, while the hackers were demanding ransoms of around $230.

Still.

Back in the Jurassic when I was still doing web coding and design work, it was considered a badge of honor to provide support for legacy operating systems.

I’m officially a crochety old person, I guess. Things were always a mess, but they seem so much messier now.

There must be a little island somewhere populated by oddly sentient cats and people whose chief joy is discussing 19th century literature. Mustn’t there?

Comments

[robby.livejournal.com]

You can still get a free upgrade to Windows10 here.https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/accessibility/windows10upgrade (https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/accessibility/windows10upgrade)

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Very useful! Thanks for posting.

I'm a Mac user so not relevant for me, but maybe someone who needs this will see it.

[robby.livejournal.com]

Don't be so hard on Microsoft. They did release a free Windows XP patch. You can still upgrade for free. The XP OS is 16 years old, and not suitable for this staggeringly sophisticated hacking environment.

[platofish.livejournal.com]

It's really not worth upgrading such old computers...... for not much more than the retail price of Windows 10 you can buy a new computer and OS. Not that I'm arguing adding to landfill is the best option....but then again, I guess that is what I'm saying.....

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

Hackers are scum.
They should be locked in a windowless room. The room has mirrored walls and excessively bright lighting. They are in this room with Trump -- who is holding a megaphone - and they get to listen to him speechify in perpetuity.

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Well. Hackers are just tinkerers. I used to like to figure out what was going on behind the code myself back in the days when I got paid to do website stuff.

This is a very elegant illustration of hacking deployed by the Powers of Good:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/13/accidental-hero-finds-kill-switch-to-stop-spread-of-ransomware-cyber-attack

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Interesting. So does that mean that the entire British health system relies upon antiquated computer equipment? Because Windows XP was the vulnerability there, at least according to what I read.

Or was what I read inaccurate?

[platofish.livejournal.com]

Apparently, 90% of NIH facilities are running with some XP computers. Ditto the police, ambulance, and other services.

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

Tinkering is quite different from ransom demands.