Starting today, Microsoft will discontinue support for the operating system Windows XP and word processor Microsoft Office 2003.
Sheri Thompson, IT communications and planning officer, said the University still has some machines running Windows XP on campus, usually for specific research purposes.
According to the latest LSU IT WIRE email, University Internet Technology Services will start to disable network access for machines continuing to run Windows XP on Wednesday.
“Experts in the IT security field are expecting security vulnerabilities to appear,” said Craig Callender, chief IT security and policy officer.
Callender said the largest risk will be for Windows XP users visiting and browsing the Internet.
“The first wave will probably be malicious websites,” Callender said.
Thompson said such websites may attempt to place a virus or spyware on machines running Windows XP.
Windows XP launched more than a decade ago and has not received mainstream support since 2009.
Thompson said operating systems rarely live past 12 years.
“We want students to think about updating to the latest version the manufacturer has,” Callender said.
Callender said students should also think about their other devices, such as tablets and smartphones, when updating for security purposes.
“We’re recommending that XP users go to Windows 7,” Callender said.
Free upgrades are available to students and other members of the University’s network via Tigerware.
“That’s the best way to be secure,” Thompson said.
“We want students to think about updating to the latest version the manufacturer has.”