Users can continue to receive Windows XP updates with registry hack

Disclosed on Internet a curious news, hacking the Windows OS registry it is possible to get Windows XP Security Updates until 2019.

On April 8th 2014 Microsoft officially ended the support for Windows XP, but there is still a wide audience of users that are using the oldest Microsoft OS.

This portion of users is no more receiving security updates with serious consequences on cyber security perspective. Some organizations are still facing economic and technical problems to migrate the operating system’s running Windows XP to another operating system. Anyway, Microsoft is still providing support to customers that are paying it, this is the case of critical applications for which the migration request more time and it is not possible to leave the systems vulnerable, let’s thing to critical infrastructure and government environments.

On the Internet is circulating the news that it is very easy to continue to receive Windows XP security updates until April 2019, hackers discovered that it is possible using updates for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 based on Windows XP Service Pack 3.

In fact, the security updates which are being released for POSReady 2009 are the same updates necessary for Microsoft XP OS. Because the extended support for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 systems ends after 5 years, Microsoft will continue to deliver security updates and patches till April 9th, 2019.

What is Windows Embedded POSReady 2009?

Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 is the operating system designed by Microsodt for “point-of-sale” (POS) systems.

POS machines most likely use Microsoft XP, users are not allowed to directly install security updates for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, but they need to modify Windows registration database.

These are the steps necessary to install the security updates in your Windows XP:

• Open Notepad and create a new file.
• Add the following code to the file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\PosReady]
"Installed"=dword:00000001

• Save file as .reg extension and run it by double clicks.
• Once executed, you will find lots of pending updates in your Windows Action Center.

Obviously there is no guarantee that your system is fully protected with this trick, is in any case preferable to migrate to a newer operating system for which they are supplied security updates.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs –  Windows XP, Security Updates)