Kat hall reports in the Register that some NHS trusts have failed to put agreements in place with Microsoft for extended security support for Windows XP.
A majority of NHS trusts still operate Windows XP based machines and have signed up to a Cabinet Office agreement with Microsoft to provide ongoing security upgrades until April 2015; however, 18 trusts have so far failed to sign the agreement.
The article highlights that a total of 1.1 million PCs and laptops are estimated to be running Windows at trusts, GPs and other health groups that comprise the NHS in England. The security risks from a lack of security support depend on factors such as how many non-upgraded machines are on the networks, the effectiveness of perimeter defences and the availability of suitable exploits for an attacker to use.