HSBC Promoting Windows 10 Upgrade

Neil_Jones

JustJohn_2 said:

I am an HSBC current account and credit card holder. I also still use the Windows 7 operating system: That is my choice because, at my  age, I see no reason to change my hardware and operating system at some considerable cost.  In any case Windows 7 may not be getting any further OS upgrades, but it still gets anti-virus and firewall updates.  HSBC are actively promoting that customers change to Windows 10 but, when asked to explain this policy, are reluctant to do so. I asked the customer service representative to get HSBC's IT people to provide a written explanation as to why they were giving out this advice but that request was refused.  I also said that, if HSBC were so keen for poeople to upgrade, maybe they would like to pay for the necessary hardware and software. That'll be a "No" then.  Maybe Windows 7 will cease to be supported by other software providers at some point but, until that happens, I see no reason to "upgrade" at present. Surely it is not the business of HSBC to act as sales representatives of other organisations?

I've made the argument before on here that there may come a time where if you use online banking on an unsupported platform (ie Windows 7 or earlier) and fraud occurs because you were using that platform, you may be responsible for it as opposed to the bank.

jim1999

You might as well say "I still write my PIN down on a piece of paper in my wallet - this is my choice".

They are absolutely right to say that you should upgrade, and you are putting yourself at risk.

JustJohn_2

Well, I have to say that, despite all the comments about security, Microsoft are still providing me with daily updates to their anti-malware and firewall software.  If that were to stop, I'd probably think again.

[Deleted User]

HSBC or any other financial organisation aren't  going to explain why they recommend upgrading; doing so may give information to hackers. 

JustJohn_2

That seems a little far-fetched. It not as though I was asking for details of what they believed the threat might be. If they said something on the lines that "we have identified a significant vulnerability in the software" that's not going to give any hacker much to go on since hackers are looking for those all the time, which is why it is sensible to be using regularly updated anti-malware software and a (preferably router-based) firewall.  It's a lot easier to update anti-malware software than it is to patch an operating system. 

Neil_Jones

JustJohn_2 said:

Well, I have to say that, despite all the comments about security, Microsoft are still providing me with daily updates to their anti-malware and firewall software.  If that were to stop, I'd probably think again.

Anti-virus software does not protect against security holes in the operating system.  That's like putting a sticking plaster over a serious cut.

JustJohn_2 said:

It's a lot easier to update anti-malware software than it is to patch an operating system. 

Except it doesn't address the underlying issue.

Prism

JustJohn_2 said:

That seems a little far-fetched. It not as though I was asking for details of what they believed the threat might be. If they said something on the lines that "we have identified a significant vulnerability in the software" that's not going to give any hacker much to go on since hackers are looking for those all the time, which is why it is sensible to be using regularly updated anti-malware software and a (preferably router-based) firewall.  It's a lot easier to update anti-malware software than it is to patch an operating system. 

HSBC won't know what the security vulnerability will be. This kind of stuff happens quickly when a weakness is found and the attack is launched. Anti-malware and firewalls typically don't pick it up. Once the attack gets in the damage is often done.

Saying that, as long as you have mobile phone authentication on your bank account, even if someone got access to your computer it makes it very hard for them to do much else.

ryan121

Using a 10 year old operating system than no longer gets updates is just asking for trouble. 

armith

Some of the comments in this thread do come across as pretty harsh. My wife was in a similar position - she's used Windows 7 on her laptop for years - and prior to that was quite happy with XP! In the end I managed to persuade her that she'd have to move to Windows 10. We had a look at new laptops but they are a lot of money for what she does - so I bit the bullet and installed Windows 10 on her old (and I mean 16 year old!) Gateway laptop. And it almost worked. What I have done is replace her hard disc with a £25 "SSD". The only other problem was that the wireless card did't work so she couldn't get onto the internet. This was solved with a sub-£15 "dongle". Now her laptop is running like a dream - for what she uses it for (internet, email and a bit of word\excel) it is virtually as good as a brand new one. And the Microsoft update process kept all her files and installed programs. And all this was free (well, just under £40 for the two bits that had to be replaced). It'll last her for years now.

If you  don't feel comfortable doing it yourself there are lots of computer people that will do this for you - my next door neighbour got his laptop Windows 10'd for £60 from an advert in the newsagents window.

[Deleted User]

What about Linux? Are they advising against that too?