XP Still Home to Thousands of Websites Worldwide

Even though Microsoft (MSFT) officially retired Windows XP April 8 when the vendor issued the OS’s final security update, the 13-year-old platform still hosts more than 6,000 websites worldwide, according to data compiled by U.K.-based researcher Netcraft.

Netcraft’s most recent survey data showed 14 U.S. government websites currently run on Windows XP, including an email system used by the state of Utah. That data alone should set off a series of security alarms, considering the open doors an unsupported XP leaves for hackers. About 10 percent of U.S. government PCs are said to run on XP, including systems operating on top secret military and diplomatic networks housing highly sensitive material.

Netcraft’s data also debunked the idea that China is home to the majority of XP users, as the researcher’s study showed only 3 percent of websites are hosted there. In fact, Netcraft said, nearly one-third of Windows XP-run websites are hosted in the United States, the largest portion of any region worldwide.

Netcraft isn’t the only researcher reporting widespread remaining Windows XP installations in the United States. WebpageFX chronicled some 7.8 million million web visits since Jan. 1 and compiled the percentage of each state still operating and accessing the web from Windows XP.

WebpageFX’s data indicated that 7 percent of U.S. PC users still run Windows XP, with Ohio leading the pack at 11.75 percent, followed by Indiana, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Tennessee, all of which recorded greater than 9 percent XP usage.

Nebraska, North Dakota, Hawaii and Kansas each clocked in at less than 5 percent, so perhaps those states are home to the most enlightened PC users. In comparison, California came in at 6.06 percent and New York at 6.59 percent.

“While [7 percent overall] may sound like a little puny, insignificant number, you still have to keep something in mind,” wrote Dan Shaffer, a WebpageFX web marketer in a blog post. “Viruses are passed around. As long as a hacker can find a route to your information, you are a sitting duck.”

Netcraft’s survey showed Windows XP’s arc is dwarfed by Windows 2000’s for website use. About 500,000 websites worldwide still are hosted on Windows 2000 servers, the researcher said, even though Microsoft’s extended support date for the OS ended in July 2010.