Hackers Prey on

Windows XP

V ulnerabilities

rpeters@rftclouds.com

REACH FOR THE CLOUDS, INC.

12 / 8/2014

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Hackers Prey on Windows XP

Vulnerabilities Even though Microsoft discontinued their support for Windows XP around six months back,

an estimated 1 million users are still using this outdated OS. 44% of all businesses are still

using Windows XP in some capacity. The discontinued patch support for Windows XP is a

direct avenue for hackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities. Several attacks have been

launched by hackers exploiting the critical vulnerabilities in legacy versions of Internet

Explorer. Microsoft has admitted that there are security issues with IE 6 through 11. These

are “drive-by” attacks that the hackers use to hack browsers by tricking people into visiting

malicious websites. These attacks are so serious that the Department of Homeland Security

actually issued a warning (after the attacks) and advised people to not use those versions of

Internet Explorer until the bugs are fixed.

Even though Microsoft lived up to its reputation of being a consumer friendly company and

fixed the bugs in IE by offering patch support to computers running on Windows Vista and

Windows 7, it clearly mentioned that IE browsers on Windows XP would not receive any

patch support.

The “drive-by” vulnerability was the biggest bug affecting Windows XP post patch support

retirement and it's only a matter of time before the hackers are able to uncover more flaws

in IE and launch further attacks on Windows XP. The company claims that Microsoft XP is

66% more vulnerable compared to other platforms now that patch support is no longer

available.

This is serious news for business owners still using XP. An upgrade is no longer an option –

it is an absolute necessity. However, with any OS upgrade comes a unique set of challenges.

First and foremost what happens to your company’s existing data, files and documents?

Modernizing your environment can place the compatibility of your files at risk. Often

documents that play a daily role in your company’s operations can lose functionality due to

incompatibilities with the latest versions of Microsoft Office. Any organization migrating

from legacy Microsoft Office products run the risk of documents not converting with the

same functionality it previously possessed, causing unwanted business interruption,

possibly bad data as well a strain on the IT department to restore the previous functionality

of the document.

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Your IT Department Needs The Right Tools:

The moment you upgrade from the legacy versions of Microsoft Office to the latest release,

you run the risk of losing the designed functionality of a document.

Let's face the facts - migration could be an arduous job, especially when working with large

amounts of files. If you want your IT department to be able to accurately identify and screen

the vulnerable files, you have to give them the tools necessary for the job. There is always

room for “human” error and that could mean some problematic files getting overlooked and

left behind during an investigation, especially when there are a lot of files to sift through. This

could mean unwanted business interruptions, a strain on your IT department and could

impact your bottom line.

Wouldn't it be great to be able modernize your systems without the associated risks to file

functionality, loss of productivity and additional strain on your IT department?

Here is the cost-effective solution:

The cloud-based application design company, Reach for the Clouds, Inc., has good news for

you. The company specializes in designing applications to simplify and secure the legacy

Microsoft upgrade process. Below are the three components to the RFTC Toolset your

company needs to utilize in order to mitigate the risks of losing file functionality after

converting to the latest version of Microsoft Office from legacy Microsoft Office software:

1. RFTC O365 Detective: RFTC O365 Detective is a light piece of software that will scan

your desktops, servers or file shares looking for known problematic files. The RFTC O365

Detective is truly a “detective” within the toolset as it identifies not only where the files are,

but how many files could be problematic. RFTC O365 Detective was designed specifically to

identify files that are known to have issues when converting from the Microsoft Office legacy

suites to Office 2007, 2010 and 2013. The RFTC O365 Detective can determine the files

containing VB code, charts, passwords, links and Active X components. These are usually the

ingredients that spell trouble during migration. RFTC O365 Detective will identify all files

that have these elements thus defining the scope of the project you have before you.

With RFTC O365 Detective installed you can better define the scope and landscape of your

upgrade project. Arming your team with this data prior to attempting the upgrade will

reduce the loss of productivity due to broken files and the stress caused to an already

inundated IT staff.

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The user interface on RFTC O365 Detective is super intuitive, easy to use and reflects the

commitment of RFTC to achieve ultimate customer satisfaction. If you want, RFTC O365

Detective will export the results to Excel too!

2. RFTC FileReporter: The RFTC FileReporter is a full scale reporting component of the

RFTC Toolset. The RFTC O365 Detective outputs its finding into XML files and the RFTC

FileReporter takes those XML files and allows the end user to report on the data collected.

These reports provide managers with precise information to make informed decisions for

Microsoft Office upgrade planning and execution. The reporting component of the toolset

proves to be very helpful as it answers a lot of tough questions for project managers. How

many Microsoft Office files and other files exist on the network? Where are the files stored?

Should all files be converted or be shown as a subset?

RFTC FileReporter helps the project manager make vital decisions about their upgrade/

migration project.

3. RFTC OfficeMigrator: The RFTC OfficeMigrator is a key component of the RFTC

Toolset. Now that you have taken the time to identify the scope of the project, you can make

an informed decision on how to utilize the RFTC OfficeMigrator. The RFTC OfficeMigrator

is the part of the toolset that can attempt to automatically convert files that are known to

have issues when using the typical method of converting Microsoft files. As mentioned

previously, the files containing VB code, charts, passwords, links and Active X components

are the typical files that have issues when migrating off of the legacy Office products. The

RFTC OfficeMigrator can perform bulk conversions of these files, saving countless man hours

and taking the guess work out of the Office migration. Often a company will take the

break/fix approach during the migration process. This can often derail even the smallest of

projects. Fixing files often falls upon an already inundated IT staff or the end user, causing

a drop in productivity and wasted man hours. The RFTC OfficeMigrator will report all the

files that were successfully converted, as well as the files that will require further attention.

Time to get down from the fence and embrace RFTC Solutions:

If you are still using XP and utilizing legacy Microsoft Office software, an upgrade is

inevitable. Performing an upgrade should not cost you the functionality of your existing files.

Understanding the landscape of your environment and scope of your project are first and

foremost when attempting an Office migration. Protecting the past efforts that was put into

creating files is a tough job during a migration because you have to first know which files are

going to end up being problematic.

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The RFTC Toolset can assist with defining the landscape, as well as perform bulk conversions

with full reporting features. Reach for the Clouds, Inc. has the solution for any organization

that has been reluctant to upgrade from the legacy versions of Microsoft Office. The RFTC

Toolset takes the guess work out of the Office migration thus saving countless man hours,

preventing loss of productivity with your workforce and freeing up IT staff to focus on more

pressing issues.