US-CERT

TA14-069A: Microsoft Ending Support for Windows XP and Office 2003

Original release date: March 10, 2014 | Last revised: June 18, 2014

Systems Affected

  • Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3) Operating System
  • Microsoft Office 2003 Products

Overview

Microsoft is ending support for the Windows XP operating system and Office 2003 product line on April 8, 2014. [1] After this date, these products will no longer receive:

  • Security patches which help protect PCs from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software
  • Assisted technical support from Microsoft
  • Software and content updates

Description

All software products have a lifecycle. End of support refers to the date when Microsoft no longer provides automatic fixes, updates, or online technical assistance. [2] As of February 2014, nearly 30 percent of Internet-connected PCs still run Windows XP. [3]

Microsoft will send “End of Support” notifications to users of Windows XP who have elected to receive updates via Windows Update. Users in organizations using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), System Center Configuration manager, or Windows Intune will not receive the notification. [4]

Impact

Computer systems running unsupported software are exposed to an elevated risk to cybersecurity dangers, such as malicious attacks or electronic data loss.

Users may also encounter problems with software and hardware compatibility since new software applications and hardware devices may not be built for Windows XP or Office 2003.

Organizations that are governed by regulatory obligations may find they are no longer able to satisfy compliance requirements. [4]

Solution

Computers operating Windows XP with SP3 or running Office 2003 products will continue to work after support ends. However, using unsupported software may increase the risk of viruses and other security threats.

Users have the option to upgrade to a currently supported operating system or office productivity suite. The Microsoft “End of Support” pages for Windows XP and Office 2003 offer additional details.

There are software vendors and service providers in the marketplace who offer assistance in migrating from Windows XP or Office 2003 to a currently supported operating system or office productivity suite. US-CERT does not endorse or support any particular product or vendor.

Users who choose to continue using Windows XP after the end of support may mitigate some risks by using a web browser other than Internet Explorer. The Windows XP versions of some alternative browsers will continue to receive support temporarily. Users should consult the support pages of their chosen alternative browser for more details.

References

Revision History

  • March 10, 2014 – Initial Release
  • June 18, 2014 – A spelling correction was made.

This product is provided subject to this Notification and this Privacy & Use policy.

Microsft

MS13-095 – Important: Vulnerability in Digital Signatures Could Allow Denial of Service – Version: 1.1

Severity Rating: Important
Revision Note: V1.1 (February 28, 2014): Bulletin revised to announce a detection change in the 2868626 update for Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2. This is a detection change only. There were no changes to the update files. Customers who have already successfully updated their systems do not need to take any action.
Summary: This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow denial of service when an affected web service processes a specially crafted X.509 certificate.

Microsft

MS14-005 – Important: Vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services Could Allow Information Disclosure (2916036) – Version: 1.1

Severity Rating: Important
Revision Note: V1.1 (February 28, 2014): Bulletin revised to announce a detection change in the 2916036 update for Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows RT 8.1. This is a detection change only. There were no changes to the update files. Customers who have already successfully updated their systems do not need to take any action.
Summary: This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services included in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker would have no way to force users to view specially crafted content. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to take action, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message or in an Instant Messenger message that takes users to an attacker’s website, or by getting them to open an attachment sent through email.

Microsft

MS14-007 – Critical: Vulnerability in Direct2D Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2912390) – Version: 1.1

Severity Rating: Critical
Revision Note: V1.1 (February 28, 2014): Bulletin revised to announce a detection change in the 2912390 update for Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2. This is a detection change only. There were no changes to the update files. Customers who have already successfully updated their systems do not need to take any action.
Summary: This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker would have no way to force users to view specially crafted content. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to take action, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message or in an Instant Messenger message that takes users to an attacker’s website, or by getting them to open an attachment sent through email.

Microsft

MS13-090 – Critical: Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits – Version: 1.1

Severity Rating: Critical
Revision Note: V1.1 (February 28, 2014): Bulletin revised to announce a detection change in the 2900986 update for Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2. This is a detection change only. There were no changes to the update files. Customers who have already successfully updated their systems do not need to take any action.
Summary: This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability that is currently being exploited. The vulnerability exists in the InformationCardSigninHelper Class ActiveX control. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage with Internet Explorer, instantiating the ActiveX control. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Python

CVE-2014-1912

Buffer overflow in the socket.recvfrom_into function in Modules/socketmodule.c in Python 2.5 before 2.7.7, 3.x before 3.3.4, and 3.4.x before 3.4rc1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted string. (CVSS:7.5) (Last Update:2014-05-10)

Nagios

CVE-2014-1878

Stack-based buffer overflow in the cmd_submitf function in cgi/cmd.c in Nagios Core, possibly 4.0.3rc1 and earlier, and Icinga before 1.8.6, 1.9 before 1.9.5, and 1.10 before 1.10.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (segmentation fault) via a long message to cmd.cgi. (CVSS:5.0) (Last Update:2014-02-28)

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