MUMBAI: Anti-virus major Quick Heal Technologies today said it would support Windows XP users for at least two years after Microsoft's April 8 deadline when it would no longer support the operating system.

Until 2011, XP ruled, with a market share of 43.29 per cent. Despite being an old operating system, XP still stands out as the second most popular operating system and continues to have a market share of 29.53 per cent, which is roughly equal to 500 million computers.

"It is possible that hackers may have found vulnerabilities in Windows XP and that they are just waiting for April 8. The concern is that even if Microsoft discovers them in the future, it's not going to release any security fixes for them. Depending on the severity of these risks, cybercriminals might triumph," Quick Heal Technologies Chief Technology Officer Sanjay Katkar said.

"We advise all our users to be aware and upgrade. If that's not possible, then they should take as much precaution as they can to safeguard their machines," he said.

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