Trend Micro warns of new XP security weak spot

Security vendor claims to have acquired samples of a zero-day threat affecting the veteran operating system

Security vendor Trend Micro has echoed industry pleas for businesses and users to ditch Microsoft's XP operating system in favour of a newer model after claiming to have acquired a sample of a dangerous security threat targeting the OS.

Trend said the zero-day threat – a type of attack that gives users no prior warning – affects both XP and Server 2003 products. It allows hackers extra access privileges, meaning they can view and delete data, install programs and create accounts with administrative power.

Microsoft responded to the problem and released an advisory note for those affected by the problem.

In April next year, updates and support for XP are set to end and Microsoft has been keen to encourage users to migrate to Windows 7 or Windows 8 throughout 2013. The channel has eyed this as a huge opportunity to cash in on upgrades, as have migration-specialist vendors who have all joined the chorus denouncing the 12-year-old OS.

In a blog post warning users about the recent threat discovery, Trend Micro joined the fray.

"This incident also serves as a reminder to users of the importance of shifting to the newer versions of Windows," it said.

"Users with systems running on later versions of Windows are not affected by this threat."

Last month Microsoft upped the ante on its efforts to push people away from XP and claimed that the OS is six times less secure than Windows 8.