In early 2020, support for Windows 7 came to an end. This operating system adds to the list of others, such as Windows XP , that no longer receive any support from Microsoft. The slightest failure discovered in these systems will endanger users indefinitely. And not only that, but through those security flaws, other computers connected to the network can be compromised. Even if they are Windows 10 with the latest security patches.
Nowadays using a system like Windows XP is totally counterproductive. Without going any further, many of the modern web pages do not work properly in this operating system. And neither do TLS / SSL connections . Although Windows 7, at the moment, does not have problems of this type, at any time it can become an equal, or even worse, threat to XP within a local network.
Problems that old operating systems can cause
Each time malware (especially Trojans and ransomware) hide advanced methods to infect other computers within the same network through vulnerabilities known as EternalBlue.
If a computer on the network, regardless of Windows 7 or Windows XP , falls victim to this type of computer threat, this malware will be sent directly through the network to all other computers. And depending on the configuration and security software we use, we may or may not fall victim to it.
The same goes for direct computer attacks. 7 and XP are direct entry doors for all types of hackers . If an attacker manages to take control of these computers, he can, without much effort, get to connect to the other computers in the local network.
In addition, both XP and Windows 7 use old, unsupported and incompatible protocols. Without going any further, Windows 7 cannot communicate with the latest versions of Windows 10 because this second one has SMB 1.0 disabled by default.
With Windows XP the thing goes further, and as we have said, this operating system not only does not have updated browsers (which adds a plus of danger), but it does not directly support today’s secure connections, so many of the websites do not load.
How to protect your network from computers with Windows XP or Windows 7
Ideally, if we have a computer that still runs Windows XP on our network, we get rid of it. Sooner. Not only because of the security problems involved in having it connected, but because facing the Internet it won’t help us much.
If we have a Windows 7 computer , what we must do is upgrade to Windows 10 for free with the trick that Microsoft offers us. Windows 10 works the same as Windows 7 in terms of performance and needs the same minimum requirements. However, the security improvement we get is incalculable.
In the event that, ultimately, there is nothing left but to continue using the same insecure operating system, then there are some tips that will help us stay safe.
Disconnect the computer from the Internet
If you use that computer to connect to the Internet, badly done. If we use the computer for work or to play multimedia content, it is not necessary to be connected to the Internet.
Therefore, unless strictly necessary, the best we can do for our security, and that of all who connect to our same local network, is to disconnect computers with Windows XP and Windows 7 from the Internet .
This way it will be more complicated for them to become infected with malware. And in the case of doing so, they cannot endanger others.
Configure Windows 7 and XP as connected to a public network
If we have these computers connected to our router, one way (not very effective, by the way) to isolate them and try to protect other computers is to configure it as connected to a public network.
This configuration, which is usually inside the firewall, is responsible for blocking all functions to share data and resources and communicate with other computers.
It would also be recommended that all other computers be configured as a public network. None could communicate with others or other resources (such as printers or NAS) on the network, but at least they would be safe.
Isolate computers with Windows 7 Windows XP on the router itself
Another configuration that we can also take into account is to isolate Windows 7 and Windows XP computers within the network. We can use different VLANs or directly configure them within a totally different network at IP level and subnet mask.
If the computer is connected via Wi-Fi, then we can use the typical “guest Wi-Fi network ” to connect all obsolete computers to the Internet. As this network is usually isolated from the rest of the local network, these computers will not be a problem for the rest.
Use another Internet connection
Another way to continue using these computers, and connect them to the Internet, without endangering others is by using another Internet connection. Although it is more expensive, we are investing in security.
We can hire a second connection for our house, or use a 4G data connection to connect this computer to the Internet.
Properly protect all computers
In addition to these basic security measures, it is also our responsibility to properly protect all computers on the network.
In the case of computers that have Windows 10 installed, we must take basic security measures, that is, install all Windows Update updates and have a good antivirus protecting our data.
When we talk about obsolete operating systems, then things change. With Windows XP the truth is that we can do little, since there is not even just antivirus to protect this system. However, we can properly protect Windows 7 at the moment to prevent this system from falling into the hands of hackers. At least for now.
