On April 8, 2014, Microsoft officially announced the end of support for the Windows XP operating system. January 14, 2020 was supposed to be the end of Windows 7, as Microsoft also announced the end of support for that operating system. In reality, both systems are alive.
It is nothing unusual to find end-of-support operating systems across the globe, operational in critical infrastructure as well as in health care facilities. According to Kaspe
rsky’s survey from 2021, almost one quarter (24%) of PC users are still running a Windows OS without mainstream support.
There is a big problem, especially with operational technology (OT). It is designed to have a much longer lifespan than IT systems. OT systems are much more likely to include components that are 20-30 years old, or even older. Very often, security patches are not applied in OT systems. This is because these systems are expected to be operated with minimal interruptions. Updates, such as patches, may be considered as something that interferes with business continuity.
A few years back, this hesitance to patch OT systems was not a big issue because many industrial control systems (and human-machine interfaces used with them) were designed for isolated environments. In the last few years, especially after the introduction of pandemic measures, connectivity between OT and IT networks has been growing rapidly. This makes OT systems exposed on the internet.
Critical infrastructure is no longer in the safe bubble. And, by using outdated operating systems without support, this infrastructure is in an extremely dangerous position.
Attackers have easy access to publicly available exploits and can deploy them anytime.
The critical operations of every organization should be protected and easily restored in case of cyber-attack.
Salvador Technologies has worked to secure data protection from all kind of cyber-attacks. Our top-rated solutions take a backup of the important data to be recovered and guarantee the highest levels of data protection and instant recovery. Get in touch to learn more of our revolutionized air-gapped technology that dramatically reduces the risks of data loss and operational downtime!
Salvador Technologies is based on more than ten years of experience in the National Cyber Unit and elite intelligence corps of the IDF and on the passion to contribute to the global cyber security agenda. Standing at the forefront of the fight against cyber threats,
Salvador Technologies offers complete and instant recovery from ransomware attacks and hardware/ software malfunctions.
Our mission is to enable operational continuity by providing unique tools and features to minimize the downtime and allow recovery from any scenario. Salvador Technologies thrives to empower our customers with the full & fastest recovery from cyber-attacks and computer system failures. Our patented technology provides data security and automates the entire recovery process through an easy retrievable platform in a single click.
Our service includes:
• Full recovery from cyber-attacks and IT failures
• 30-second recovery agnostic to disk size
• 2-minute installation
• Fully automated recovery process
• Offline protection for backup data (air gap)
• Centralized monitoring
• Recovery of software data and full OS configurations
Salvador Technologies can provide solutions tailored to your specific needs with proven uses for HMI / SCADA industrial computers, BMS (Building Management Systems), critical infrastructures, workstations, servers, standalone systems, and logistics centers.
*Based on an article by Paula Januszkiewicz, Security Expert & Penetration Tester.
