produce a 2 page report outlining the potential risks and mi

produce a 2 page report outlining the potential risks (and mitigation where possible) for the following operating system /application.

The operating system/ application is - windows server 2012.

Solution

Microsoft will end extended support for Windows Server 2003 in mid-July. Using the operating system beyond that point will expose your company to security risks, and you will not be able to meet many compliance obligations. To eliminate these problems, you need to migrate to a newer operating system such as Windows Server 2012 R2.

A recent study found that a shocking 61 percent of businesses are still running at least one instance of Windows Server 2003 somewhere in their organization.

This means most companies are opening themselves up to risk. Microsoft typically talks about the consequences of running Windows Server 2003 beyond the July 14, 2015 cutoff date in terms of there being no safe haven and no compliance. Specifically, physical and virtual environments will be vulnerable to attack, and companies could fail standard compliance audits such as those conducted for PCI, Sarbanes-Oxley, or HIPAA.

Microsoft also stresses that there will be no new updates or security patches. This is a real problem for everyone. There were 21 critical Windows Server 2003 updates issued in 2014 and 37 critical updates in 2013. That is 58 updates in the last two years alone. None will be issued after July 14. So if the recent past is any indication of the number of new vulnerabilities that would go unfixed in the future, companies might be hit by a new exploit or two every month.

Simply put, companies could be placing their systems, data, and customers at considerable risk by not migrating off Windows Server 2003 before the end of extended support. They may also face compliance problems with various regulatory and industry standards, which could impact their business, particularly in highly regulated industries such as finance or healthcare.

To emphasize how serious the situation will be, the United States Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), part of the Department of Homeland Security, issued an alert highlightning the security impact of running Windows Server 2003 beyond the July 14, 2015 end of extended support date.

According to CERT, “computer systems running unsupported software are exposed to an elevated risk to cyber security dangers, such as malicious attacks or electronic data loss. Users may also encounter problems with software and hardware compatibility since new software applications and hardware devices may not be built for Windows Server 2003. As a result of these issues, organizations that are governed by regulatory obligations may find they are no longer able to satisfy compliance requirements while running Windows Server 2003.”

Furthermore, using unsupported software may increase the risks of viruses and other security threats. Negative consequences could include loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data, system resources, and business assets.

These potential problems can be mitigated with an upgrade or migration to Windows Server 2012 R2.