Microsoft announced recently that it will no longer continue to support the Windows XP operating system in April. Yep! April 2014, that’s just a few months away!

Many users will be relieved to know that while support ends in April 2014, malware protection updates will continue a few months longer to July 2014. But these last updates may not be enough to protect against new attacks to the already out-of-date software.

What happens if you don’t upgrade soon?

Older operating systems are by default vulnerable to attacks, especially on the web. Without Windows Support, XP users are susceptible to:

• Hackers. Any information you supply online could be easily hacked and used without your knowledge. This includes your passwords, personal information and even credit card information, for those who shop online.
• Viruses and Trojans. Without Support, XP won’t be able to defend itself against the newest viruses and trojans, which are constantly evolving and being recreated. Getting infected with a computer virus could mean the end of the line for your computer, and compromise your personal information stored on it.
• Decreased experience. While the rest of the digital world advances, XP will stay behind. This means many of your favorite websites and programs won’t work the way they used to, because they’ll no longer be compatible with your particular operating system.

What can you do?

Upgrade to the next or latest operating system, before anything bad happens. The good news is, Microsoft has made this super simple for all of their XP customers. Read more about how to upgrade from Windows XP here.