OLD TIMER

Kremlin Accidentally Reveals Vladimir Putin Still Uses Windows XP

Images released by the Russian president’s press service appear to show he still uses the operating system released in 2001.

Western democracies may be cowering in terror about the the threat of advanced cyberattacks originating from Russia—but it seems Vladimir Putin himself isn’t quite at the cutting edge of technology. Images released by his press service appear to have accidentally revealed that Putin, 67, is still using the now-obsolete Microsoft Windows XP operating system. The Guardian reports that XP, released in 2001, was the last Microsoft operating system approved for use on official Russian government computers, so Putin’s computer hasn’t been updated for years. The Kremlin is reportedly phasing out American software on government computers in favor of Russia’s Astra Linux operating system. However, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, has not commented on why Putin continues to use the very old Microsoft operating system. Microsoft warns on its website that computers running Windows XP are “vulnerable to security risks and viruses.”