Microsoft has repeatedly warned users who have devices that still run on Windows XP to upgrade to a newer version of Windows because Microsoft is no longer doing security updates for the operating system. This means that any exploits and vulnerabilities that hackers find in the system will be left unfixed. While it’s fairly simple for individual consumers to upgrade their software, things become exceptionally difficult when you’re a large company or organization that has thousands of computers running on Windows XP… such as the United States Navy.
The U.S. Navy is paying Microsoft millions of dollars to keep up to 100,000 computers afloat because it has yet to transition away from Windows XP. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, which runs the Navy’s communications and information networks, signed a US$9.1 million contract earlier this month for continued access to security patches for Windows XP, Office 2003, Exchange 2003 and Windows Server 2003. The entire contract could be worth up to $30.8 million and extend into 2017. The first three of those products have been deemed obsolete by Microsoft, and Windows Server 2003 will reach its end of life on July 14. As a result, Microsoft has stopped issuing free security updates but will continue to do so on a paid basis for customers like the Navy that are still using those products. The Navy began a transition away from XP in 2013, but as of May this year it still had approximately 100,000 workstations running XP or the other software. “The Navy relies on a number of legacy applications and programs that are reliant on legacy Windows products,” said Steven Davis, a spokesman for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego. “Until those applications and programs are modernized or phased out, this continuity of services is required to maintain operational effectiveness.”
