According to one report, 4.4% of manufacturing industry users still rely on Windows XP
Windows XP computers have always been the most attacked by hackers around the world and more so now that security updates have come to an end.
Micro trens warns that the closest links between IT networks (information technology) and the factory networks that are essential for Industry 4.0 pose greater risks for production processes and intellectual property.
Even manufacturers running newer versions of Windows may not be applying security patches effectively because they want their systems to work with minimal interruptions and consider updates interfere with business continuity.
The trend points out that, at the same time, some manufacturers are investing heavily in the convergence of traditional operational technology (OT) with IT networks, which means that OT networks previously isolated are connected to the IT network to boost efficiency. This may expose unsafe proprietary protocols and OT equipment with decades of seniority that are often not patched sufficiently frequently. He says that there is a “severe disparity” between the significant operations carried out by these systems and the fact that they operate for years with known vulnerabilities.
Trend reports that HMIs are potentially the most vulnerable, with 60,6% of 132 ICS/Scada exploits listed in the ExploitDB database of publicly available holdings. This puts them well ahead of PLCs at 9.8%, IP cameras at 6.8% and Gateway at 6.1%.
Windows XP is also widely used on official sites. But no one knows the exact number of administrations, colleges and universities that still use XP, or what will happen to these teams, as official press offices do not usually provide information on computer security measures taken by the state or individual administrations.
Our recommendation is that systems with an older or older version of Windows XP be upgraded to a modern version as soon as possible.
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