Windows XP procrastinators rejoice! (a little)
Microsoft has officially announced that it will continue to update their free anti-virus checking software, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) past the end of XP support, which is still scheduled for April 8, 2014. The MSE support, however, will only continue until July 14, 2015.
Though the wording is a bit subtle, my take is that they will continue to support the detection of new and old viruses, but not the fixes to XP which "immunize" it. The effect is the same as if you were using a third-party anti-virus product such ESET's NOD32 software, for example.
Here's the excerpt from Microsoft's page which detail this:
"After this date [April 8, 2014], Windows XP will no longer be a supported operating system*. To help organizations complete their migrations, Microsoft will continue to provide updates to our antimalware signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015."
"*We've received some inquiries about what "no longer supported operating system" means. To clarify, this mean that, after April 8, 2014, Windows XP users will no longer receive new security updates, ... "
The bottom line is that XP has a small stay of execution, but not a pardon. More precisely, Microsoft has promised a little life-support after pulling the plug on XP. Don't delay upgrading!
[201401]
Related: Surviving the End of XP