Major UK Police Force Still Using Windows XP

Well, that’s comforting!

How would you like to feel old? Well, if I was to tell you Windows XP is nearly 20 years old, how would that make you feel? Not great I imagine, particularly if you are still using it. I daresay, however, that you would feel massively more concerned if you were to learn that a major UK police force is still using XP. Well, I’m afraid that is exactly what I am telling you as a recent report via the BBC has confirmed that the Manchester Police Force is still using Windows XP.

The report has confirmed that the Manchester Police force still has over 1,500 computers which are operating on the defunct operation system.

We recently reported how amazingly, Windows XP still had a significant market share (just under 7%). I have to admit I wasn’t expecting part of that market share to be a major metropolitan police force. I was thinking more laptops or Dell’s your parents might own.

Do people really still use Windows XP?

Released in 2001, and much to Microsoft’s chagrin, Windows XP just will not die. Long after people moved (or ran) away from Vista, the migration did not really begin until Windows 7. With a similarly sub-par response to Windows 8, offering 10 as a free upgrade still didn’t get as many to move over as Microsoft would have liked.

Despite continuing XP 3 years ago, even Microsoft still occasionally required to update it.

Following the recent WannaCry attack, Microsoft was forced to attempt to secure XP based on the simple fact that so many continue to use it. At the time, the NHS was one of the most infamously affected.

The obvious concern is that something as significant as a major police force continues to use a redundant operating system. Are the details these computers hold really. safe?

Dr Steven Murdoch, an online security expert at University College London has said: “So, if the [police’s] Windows XP computers are exposed to the public internet, then that would be a serious concern. If they are isolated, that would be less of a worry. The problem is still that if something gets into a secure network, it might then spread. That is what happened in the NHS with the recent Wannacry outbreak.”

Do you think its right that a major police force is still using XP? Let us know in the comments!