Half of Romanians have computers with outdated operating systems and software that have not been updated for a long time and are vulnerable to hackers. The main excuse is the fact that Romanians do not have time to update their operating systems and other programs, instead preferring to stay with old ones, without new functions and security improvements.
The second excuse is ignorance, because many of those who have a computer do not know how to take care of it, but only to use some of its functions. Next, on the 3rd place are those who do not find the usefulness of the users, because they probably do not know English and what is written in the change lists, on the last place are those who fear not to block their computers.
20% of those who have computers in Romania have never updated their software, so many still use Windows XP, which is still a very popular operating system. Because the situation is very serious, Bitdefender explains below the risks to which those who do not constantly update their operating system and programs are exposed:
- Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities already known and later fixed by the manufacturers of the respective software and can target victims who are still using the outdated version of the respective programs, as happened recently in the cases of WannaCry and Adylkuzz. By counting on the fact that some users do not upgrade to the newest version of the program as soon as it is available, criminals can infect them with computer threats, such as ransomware (which encrypts data and then demands money to unlock it), banking trojans (which steal financial data and then empty the victims' accounts) or they can create terminal networks (botnets) and then stop the activity of popular sites.
- Users are also exposed to attempts to invade their personal lives, since attackers can control the entire home network once the threat is installed on a device. The video camera from the laptop and smart TV or the microphone from the computer or smart devices can be controlled remotely and turned into spying tools.
- Most of those who use pirated programs cannot update them for the duration of their use, because the manufacturer has the possibility to block the illegally used application. That is why Bitdefender's cyber security specialists strongly recommend the use of licensed software and applications.
- Another inconvenience is that users do not use the respective programs to their maximum potential, given that manufacturers are constantly adding new elements to improve the user experience and to remedy any technical problems that may arise over time.
- A high-performance and up-to-date security solution will not work at full capacity on an outdated operating system and, therefore, will not guarantee protection against most computer attacks. In order to benefit from the greatest possible protection, the operating system and the programs used must receive constant updates from the manufacturers, which is possible only through regular updates to the newest version available.
