Windows left open to viruses?

Windows left open to viruses? / 150,000 PCs using old OS vulnerable as service period ends

With the recent expiration of Microsoft Corp.'s technical support for its Windows 2000 operating software, more than 150,000 computers running on the system at local governments and corporations in this country are exposed to computer virus infections, it has been learned.

The 10-year-long support period for Windows 2000 expired on July 13, but many local governments said they must continue to use the system because they lack funding for a replacement. However, using computers running on an OS whose technical support has been terminated means that users will be vulnerable to cyber-attacks. For instance, local governments could run the risk of having personal information about residents leaked on the Internet.

Experts have warned the public to take precautions against the problem. In fact, seven years ago, many computers were infected with computer viruses after the technical support for their operating systems expired.

"The day I feared has arrived," an official in charge of his city's computer system in the Kanto region said. The city has a population of about 30,000.

There are about 400 computers in the city office, with 60 of them equipped with Windows 2000. The official said it would cost about 150,000 yen each to replace the computers with ones that have the latest operating system. "I want to replace the computers [with Windows 2000] with new ones as soon as possible, but it is unlikely that money will be spent from the budget. IT matters are always dealt with last," he said.

"All I can do is to pray that the computers will not be exposed to cyber-attacks," he added.

A precision instrument maker listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's First Section has 280 servers and 12,000 terminals running Windows 2000 in their offices. The company said it gave up a plan to update the operating system after learning it would cost about 50 million yen to replace their existing equipment with new computers that run on newer versions of the Windows OS.

The company said it instead spent 3 million yen to purchase security software that will protect the operation system for two years as a stopgap measure. An official in charge of the issue said, "We can't take a drastic measure to fix the problem unless the economy recovers."

The Japanese subsidiary of Microsoft's estimates more than 150,000 computers with Windows 2000 remain in use in Japan. Users can still use such computers, but if they are subjected to new cyber-attacks, Microsoft will not take measures against the attacks, in principle.

Thus, there is an increased risk of personal information being leaked on the Internet as a result of computer virus infections that may go unnoticed by the user, or that computers may be used as relay points to attack third parties.

Yoji Okuten, a senior official of Internet security company Fourteenforty Research Institute, said: "Many people have the wrong idea that the computer will be safe after installing antivirus software even if the operating system's support period has ended, but the antivirus software will not function as expected if the operating system used in a computer that runs such a program has a lot of loopholes."

According to Okuten, about 10 million computers worldwide have been infected with a computer virus named Blaster since it was first detected in August 2003. Computers with Windows NT were especially hard-hit because its supporting period had ended, Okuten said.

To make matters worse, the main users of Windows 2000 are local governments and companies, as the operating system was designed for business use and for servers of companies' main information systems.

If servers of local government are vulnerable to cyber-attacks, the danger of residents' personal information being leaked through the Internet increases.

The Information-Technology Promotion Agency, an independent administrative institution based in Tokyo, said: "Ideally, users should refrain from using Windows 2000. However, we hesitate to instruct companies and local governments to do so because it may obstruct their operations."

Yasuhira Ikeda, president of Shohisha Shiko Kenkyu-sho (Institute of consumer taste), who previously worked for a major consumer electric appliance maker, said: "Companies also need to take measures to address the problem, such as lowering the price of updating operating systems when the support period for the OS expires. Users need to be more alert to possible defects in the operating system they are using, and stop leaving problems to other people."

A spokesman for the Japanese subsidiary of Microsoft said: "It is impossible to provide support on operating systems forever, and we think a 10-year support period is appropriate. We'll urge users to update operating systems."

An operating system is the basic software that regulates a computer's essential internal elements, such as a hard disk. It provides a platform for running application software such as word-processing software and communications software.

Microsoft Windows series operating systems are often the target of cyber-attacks as the damage from one attack can spread widely because many people use the series on their computers.

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun - Daily Yomiori Online