Sophos Warns Early Adopters of Windows XP

Sophos, a world leader in corporate anti-virus protection, is urging computer users not to treat Windows XP as a way of leaving the current virus threat behind.

“The fact that there are no XP-specific viruses in the wild seems to be leading people to the incorrect assumption that XP will render them immune to virus attack, at least for a while,” warns Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos Anti-Virus. “Viruses don’t just target specific operating systems – they infect them all. Users shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security by treating Windows XP as some kind of implicit anti-virus measure.”

Cluley adds that although XP-specific viruses are inevitable, this is not really Microsoft’s fault. Viruses exist for a wide range of platforms, including Macintosh, Unix, OS/2 and even IBM mainframes. Vulnerability to viruses is a natural side-effect of an operating system which is useable in the real world.

“Virus writers seem to have got off lightly in the past, with Microsoft copping a lot of the blame on their behalf. This is like blaming bricklayers for the graffiti which gets sprayed all over the walls they build,” continued Cluley.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

The latest version of Sophos Anti-Virus works with Windows XP. For further information, see: www.sophos.com

Graham Cluley is available for comment on 01235 544144.

About Sophos

Sophos is one of the world’s largest specialist developers of anti-virus software. The products are sold and supported through a global network of subsidiaries and partners in more than 150 countries. Sophos Anti-Virus is widely used by large corporations, banks and governments.