Windows 98's Demise Causes Concern
The many companies still running the OS will face security challenges.
Paul Roberts and John Ribeiro,
IDG News Service

Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows 98 could pose significant security challenges for many users, Microsoft customers and security experts report.

On December 8, Microsoft announced its intention to halt further distribution of Windows 98, with the exception of Windows 98 Second Edition, by the end of this month. The move is being made to comply with a legal settlement with Sun Microsystems over a dispute about the Java programming language.

Just days after that announcement, industry experts warned that the operating system is still widely used within organizations. If Microsoft keeps its promise to stop issuing security patches in January, prompting companies worldwide to weigh costly jumps to newer Windows versions, those companies will face serious challenges, experts say.


End of the Road
The Redmond, Washington company ended no-charge incident support for Windows 98 on June 30 and has long warned that it will discontinue paid incident support on January 16.

After that date, Microsoft has no plans to continue producing security patches for Windows 98 even if a virus or worm outbreak targets that platform, according to a company spokesperson.

Should such an outbreak occur, customers should upgrade to a supported Windows operating system, she says. For those who do not upgrade, information and firewall and antivirus software from third-party companies can help protect vulnerable Windows 98 systems, the spokesperson says.

With more than 39 million copies of Windows 98 installed across the globe, according to research group IDC, the impact of Microsoft's policy on Windows 98 will be felt far and wide.


Plugging the Holes
For Atmel, a Colorado Springs, Colorado maker of semiconductors, third-party software products are patching holes left by Microsoft's end of support for Windows 98, says Bill VonDane, a senior systems engineer at Atmel.

Atmel has about 1200 desktop computers running Windows 98, most used by employees for e-mail, word processing, and other office functions. The company also has hundreds of machines in the company's fabrication facility that run test equipment and machines used to create semiconductors, many of them performing critical functions, he says.

Atmel uses antivirus software by Sophos at the network gateway and on user desktops; it updates its virus definitions every hour. The company also has a plan to upgrade desktop users to Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional machines, VonDane says.

But for many of the machines on the manufacturing floor, migration is not such a simple matter. Often, the software controllers that run the fabrication equipment work on Windows 98 only. In fact, Atmel still has a number of Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 machines running on its production floor for that reason, he says.

Viruses that affect Windows 98 are a concern, VonDane admits. Despite that, he is resigned about the end of support for the OS, and does not consider it a major security issue.

I don't see problems with running an older OS if it works. The bottom line is that we've had an end-of-life issue with Windows 98 for quite some time, he says. I'm not looking from support from Microsoft. The only thing I'm concerned with is making sure Sophos [antivirus] is updated.


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