CrowdStrike Falcon is one of the topics of conversation in recent dayswhile Windows 3.1 has not been for decadesThe first is a burning issue, the second smells of nostalgia from afar, the time separating the most recent update of both binaries is 11,158 days, or 30 years, 6 months, 2 weeks and 5 days. And now, we can say that the first has grounded many planes, while the second has allowed others to remain operational.
So, What relationship can exist between the two? Maybe CrowdStrike has a version of Falcon for Windows 3.1? Or maybe Microsoft’s long-standing graphical desktop environment is compatible with the latest 64-bit software? No, it’s not really either of those things, and in fact, as you’ve probably already guessed, the news is precisely because of the absolute incompatibility between the two. And that’s what explains this story.
As we can read en Tom’s Hardware, Southwest Airlines was spared from the CrowdStrike incident because many of its systems still use MS-DOS and Windows 3.1Yes, you read that right, one of the four largest airlines in the United States still uses software from more than three decades ago on its systems. However, not all the credit goes to Windows 3.1, since, for example, the systems used to schedule staff took a step forward… but only one, because it currently runs on Windows 95.
The incompatibility of these systems with current tools, such as CrowdStrike’s Falcon sensor, makes these systems unaffectedbut of course, it does so at a very high price, since the very obsolescence of MS-DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and company, makes its maintenance a hell, and any security problem can be very difficult to resolve.
This is not something unique, you may remember that a few months ago we told you that a German railway company was looking for a Windows 3.11 expert, and a few years ago we reported on another news item related to retrocomputing and aviation, specifically about a French airport that, at that time, also continued to depend on Windows 3.1 (we do not know, however, if it has been updated in these years, even if only to Windows XP).
The issue of obsolete software has been and is a problem, for more than obvious reasons.and although expensive, the update plans translate into improvements in security, performance, reliability, etc. However, and on this occasion, those responsible for these infrastructures can allow themselves a smirk, because obsolescence has saved them from falling.
Source: www.muycomputer.com
