Photo: nganhangonline

The ATM system in Vietnam, mostly powered by Windows XP, is still operating safely and has so far faced no security risks after Microsoft retired the operating system early this month, the country’s central bank announced on April 22.

On April 8, Microsoft officially ended support for the Windows XP platform, meaning users of the operating system will no longer receive security updates from the US tech giant, said a report on the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Computers running Windows XP are still working but have become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. This is particularly dangerous for the computer systems of banks and other services that require heightened security.

In Vietnam, people are worried about the security and safety of the ATM system following the retirement of the 12-year-old operating system.

But the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), in an announcement released on April 22 afternoon, reassured people concerned about the alleged risks that the automatic teller machines are running a different version of Windows XP with specific features to facilitate the ATM operations and guarantee security.

Internet connections to the machines are particularly supervised by the banks’ network systems, thus mitigating the risks of network compromises, according to the SBV.

“Besides, banks have also implemented other security solutions to prevent themselves from hacker and malware attacks,” the central bank said.

The SBV, however, also requested that banks take advanced security measures to ensure the safety of their ATMs.

Source: VNA