Windows XP: Spyware comes from the internet Windows 11: Spyware comes pre-installed

Gonna be honest.. I thought you had to at least browse around and what not. Not expecting them to be able to infect you just by being online

this wouldn't have happened if you used Windows XP Gangster Edition

Lol! The way the malware instantly crashed your browser when you searched for it is hilarious.

Things to consider: - Windows XP is used by: - some military operations - as backend for machines for medical purposes (e.g. X-Ray, MRT, ...) - as backend for CNC-machines - as terminal backend for pos-Systems (Point Of Sale) - as terminal backend for ATMs - SysOps are reluctant for changes, if systems are running - If you would change the software on some machines, they would loose their certificates allowing them to be run. - Networking a Windows XP machine is that much more comfortable than sneaker-netting it. If you think about it, the scan for Windows XP machines connected to the internet starts to make an awful lot of sense!

This video is great example why router's all have a firewall built-in.

Good thing those days are gone, now we willingly let corporations install built-in spyware in our OS’s

Next Vid: I travel back in time to 2009 and then I click on every ad.

Fun Fact: There's machines online that sniff for older windows connecting to the internet that are vulnerable and auto infect them

Firewalls becoming commonplace is probably among the TOP reasons computer viruses have declined so much since the 2000s. Yes, there is still tons of malware, but the days of computer worms infecting millions of PCs via the internet are (hopefully) over.

When Conhoz.exe started up MalwareBytes just said "You know what fuck this I'm going to burger king"

- searches for a worm (2:50) - disables the firewall - says its unsafe

Once went to a new client who said their Win 2000 server was running slow. Turns out their onsite 'expert' had put it in the router's dmz cause they didn't know about port forwards. It was running slow because everyone else in the world was running their own software on it.

This is fake, he manually disabled all of XPs security features and then manually installed a worm 2:50 bottom right of taskbar.

Windows XP is still extensively targeted, as it is still used heavily in embedded and point of sale applications, as well as systems set up once and never modified because they never stopped working. Windows 95 would see much less malware on the internet, it's used in far fewer places as XP. There's also not as much to gain from running a bot net of Windows 95 boxes, or ransoming their disks. What would be spicy would be an early version of Windows NT, such as 3.X or 4.0 on the open net. Those are similar to modern windows under the hood, and are susceptible to pretty much every exploit in the book for the Windows operating system, winnuker and ping of death, for instance.

A fun thing to do is turn on logging on the firewall and watch the huge number of scans and probes that continuously happen. Thankfully, we have firewalls that work.

2:50 nice browser window down there on the task bar, surely you werent doing anything with it?

the frame showing he manually installed the spyware: im about to ruin this man's whole career

on 2:50 you can see xp sp 3 worm on taskbar bruuuuuhhhh

I had no idea that just connecting machines with obsolete operating systems to the internet could get you malware.

God, I can hear the old-school techno beats just by seeing that Windows XP interface.

Can't wait 20yrs from now to see "What happens if you connect Windows 11 to the Internet in 2044?"

The real question is, why did you disable the firewall? and why did you search up 'xp sp3 worm'?

Needs a unregistered hypercam watermark and some 009 Soundsystem

This one was too funny with all the random obviously safe processes with totally inconspicuous names such as "ftp" and "conhoz" (published by Microsoft compilation Inc. Ltd. Corp. TM)

The funny thing is, malware in this environment is so competitive with other malware that there are actually good reasons for the malware itself to enable and install security features and software to try to mitigate the threat to its operation posed by other malware.

From what I understand the machine is in some sort of DMZ (demilitarized zone) where all of its ports and activity is exposed to the internet which is not a realistic scenario with routers unless you specifically do it. You can use XP with internet connection perfectly fine under normal circumstances as your router doesn't expose any ports to the outside. Even Windows 10/11 in DMZ could get infected, so this video doesn't make much sense on blaming outdated systems for that.

21 processes. Back when MS had lean operating systems. This was why XP was great.

Computer with no firewall gets hacked... I don't think it would matter what system you had.

Can you explain the IE tab open at 2:53?

Try it on Windows 95. I wonder if there is any active malware still compatible.

What he doesn’t tell you is that he purposefully took down his firewall

As an experienced IT and cybersecurity professional, I need to address several critical issues and inaccuracies in your video, highlighting why your approach is not only misguided but potentially harmful. Recklessness: Connecting Windows XP to the internet without any security measures is irresponsible and dangerous. No one in their right mind would do this-they'd at least have the firewall on. By performing this stunt and declaring XP dangerous online, you ignore fundamental cybersecurity practices essential for protecting systems. XP is no more dangerous than Windows 11 with all firewalls and security turned off. Misleading Assertions: Your claims about Windows XP's firewall and antivirus inadequacy oversimplify the issue. XP's security was appropriate for its time, and modern operating systems have evolved to counter contemporary threats. With necessary POSReady updates and other security fixes, XP can be much more secure than you show in your video, especially if additional security measures are implemented. Technical Inaccuracies: Your superficial malware analysis lacked depth and the necessary tools for thorough examination. This could mislead viewers about the nature and handling of malware. You failed to mention that modern viruses often can't run properly on XP, that much ransomware is incompatible, and that XP isn't filled with bloatware or default spyware like Windows 11. Presentation Flaws: You did not discuss the importance of legacy system management, patch management, and the role of virtual machines in safely running outdated software. Instead of merely showing vulnerabilities, you should have highlighted best practices for securing systems, the importance of regular updates, and modern cybersecurity tools. Additional Points: Conducting such an experiment without proper safeguards is foolish. Contrary to your approach, I have used Windows XP securely online for years with all necessary protections in place and no infections. There are security solutions that can make XP more secure than a stock Windows 11 installation, despite its inherent vulnerabilities. You also failed to show what happens if you do this on a newer OS. Turning off the firewall and security on any computer will cause issues, regardless of OS, especially if your router is old and many ports are open. Under the right circumstances, a Windows 11 PC could be just as vulnerable as the XP install in your video. If your experiment was conducted on a VM, it further diminishes the relevance of your findings. In the retro community, videos like this scare potential retro gamers away with misinformation. It would be more beneficial if you clarified the misinformation and provided relevant info on how to secure an XP install rather than promoting fearmongering. Your video could have been a valuable educational resource, but it falls short of being useful.

they're cooking you on twitter for very good reasons this is stupid

Since home routers usually have tight firewalls by default, the average person is unlikely to get hit this hard. But hackers are after valuable business, not us. Businesses and governments typically have their ports open to serve legitimate users. Unless you deliberately remove your firewall, Windows XP is not nearly this unsafe. It's still not a good idea to use it for anything you care about, but this is not a realistic representation of what the average person would experience.

Hi! No hate, loved this video, I wanted to ask about your search at 2:53 where it said "xp sp3 worm"? Are you sure you didn't just... install the malware your self and claim that you got it remotely?

2:55 You have a search result open in IE here. You didn't just "leave it to cook". What sites did you visit after opening IE for the first time?

You have just bought an old house. The doors are old as well, and the deadbolts are a little rusty. You think that rusty deadbolts cannot secure your house and thus you decide to remove it. Now you cannot lock a door, but still you are convinced this way you are much more safe than you were, for some reason. The sun sets. Now it is a perfect time for thieves to rob houses, since most people are sleeping at that time, including you. Suddenly, some thieves attempt to break in your house, but then, as soon as they witness deadbolts scattered across the floor instead of being in the door, they realize the house is unlocked. Fascinated by the treasures in the house, more specifically your important stuff, they start grabbing them all and destroying your house, because why not. Then, they peacefully leave your house. Sun rises, and you wake up. But something seems weird. Your house looks like a bomb has exploded inside. Everything feels so empty. Everything you left on the table, is gone. You get convinced it is the house's fault for letting the stuff disappear, without rethinking about your past actions, which actually costed you all your important belongings

one thing you dont make clear is that you are connecting to internet without firewall and you have all the ports open. if you did this with a new computer and turned off the firewall you would be in danger of malwares too, since people can connect to your computer using port scanners. if you have a windows xp computer and connect to internet using your router there shouldnt be any danger

Many people in the comments seem to have missed, that Eric disabled the firewall completely, no AV of any kind etc. An XP machine will be just fine, if it's firewalled, updated as far as it can be and you only open the exact port(s) that you need and only forward those on the router. I've been running a SOAP/REST web application (written in Delphi XE) on a XP SP3 VM for a little more than a decade. Why XP and not Win 7, 8 or 10? 120MB RAM used vs 800 MB RAM used, plus double CPU usage and a 6-fold increase in taken HDD space. I scan its VHD montly, with various AV scanners - nothing ever touches it. But it's protected by a Linux-driven firewall distro, behind NAT, the router exposes just 1 single port and I only allow connection to that port from specific subnets on the internet. No hacking into that, almost no way.. What Eric did, is like leaving an old luxury car, completely unlocked, all windows down, key in the ignition, on a dark city center street. It would get stolen in no-time. But once you enable the built-in security as you should (no key, lock all doors and windows etc) and add a few modern features (immobilizer, security guard etc), your car most likely won't get touched at all. So keep that in mind when watching this.

To be clear though, you deliberately set it up to be as vulnerable as possible. I have a laptop running Windows XP with all updates and patches installed (most critically the patch against EternalBlue) and it's been a seamless experience. Surprisingly capable machine - by which, I mean, it can do 1080p video streaming! Anyhow, even though I think it's basically safe to use, I'd still never log into anything important on it :P but it's definitely not a "connect and get pwned" situation.

2:50 "xp sp3 wor ..." For what? Worm? As in forcibly installing one? "Don't recommend channel".

"Have you ever wondered if it's true you can instantly get malware? In this video we discover how dangerous XP really is." I can see why many are displeased with the video... since even the description doesn't really tell you what is up. The title as well completely leaves out the "worst case, intended risk scenario". I know it was mentioned in the video... but it's easy to miss. Kinda proven in my eyes because many seem to explain it in the comments as well.

"Windows XP wor..." On taskbar... No, you definitely didn't search for Windows XP worms I used Windows 7 as my main OS until 2022, I used WinXP on virtual machine, both were connected to the internet. I was sometimes running antivirus scans as you did tn the end of your video. But get no malwares

>turns off firewall >exposes computer to the entire internet >gets virus >WHAAAAAAAAAAAT

I remember running Windows 2000 around year 2000 and even then, I did configure it to close *every TCP port* it listens by default. Then you don't need firewall because you have zero ports open. Would work perfectly well for Windows XP, too. And yes, getting all the default ports closed is pretty hard because Microsoft practically backdoored Windows by default to make it easier to connect to LAN. If you run WinXP today, I wouldn't be overly surprised if it gets infected with all the TCP ports closed.

well, the title is a bit missleading: you are not just connecting it to the internet but rather exposing it to the internet. if you would do this without a public ip (wich is normally the case btw.) nothing really would happen. there would only be a risk if a pc on the same network would have it's own public ip.

What is this nonsense? You've got rid of all the built-in protection mechanisms (however weak), fired up the beyond old IE and went on to browse malicious websites. I bet you can do the same with windows 11. Go on, disable the defender and the firewall (and UAC for good measure) and do the same. I'd never watch your content, but it was shoved through xda-developer news. I guess, it's time to ban them from my feed. For the record, I have a couple of vintage XP PCs, which are perfectly fine for more than 10 years. There are proper techniques to isolate and protect them (including a couple of AV solutions that support xp to this day). And of course you would limit your browsing substantially with only known good sources.

Whos here bc of mutahar?

Why is this surprising at all? Probably the same thing would happen with any modern OS without firewall, and connected directly to the internet without router/gateway.

Amazing video, was thinking of doing this at some point, looks like it's not too different from connecting windows XP to the internet in its hayday without an antivirus. In an ever changing world Windows XP provides a feeling of home for those of us who grew up with the internet before everyone was on it. :D

windows 95 sounds like fun

My first o/s (back in the early 2000's) was XP; even running it through a DSL modem with firewall turned on, it was still a security cesspool. You didn't have to visit shady sites, viruses came wrapped in so many different ways

Now I want to see what would happen if you connected Windows millennium edition to the internet. God I'm old.

I know for Malwarebytes has scan rootkits disabled by default in their settings. So it seems as why Malwarebytes is not detecting the actual problems causing all of that to run at startup. I guess for the rootkit case it doesn't want to uninstall a "rootkit" that isn't one or some crazy bizarre anti-cheat that accesses Dom 0.

but you literally turned off the Windows Firewall. So dumb lololol

Open all ports, turn off the firewall, use no router and browser around on suspicion websites. What normal user does that? Try Win 11 and you will have the same result.

i really like the video is really, really interesting, i never thought about what happend if you connect XP to the internet, the malware in those days is crazy, that's why i love watching this type of videos, keep it up!

Why do you download something from Uptodown in the first place? This place is riddled with infected software. My bare metal XP machine is on the internet today and fine by knowing what I do and how I browse and only download from genuine sources.

i just realized this was uploaded on my birthday lmfao, good video, i actually always wondered what happened what would happen if you were to do something like this

Good video, I just discovered this channel. Something about it makes me think it will take off if you keep uploading consistently. Stay on the grind

people miss the point... dude doesn't even have set a password for the user... its like setting up a printer in your own network, anyone can print, open the ports to the internet, now anyone on the internet can print with your printer lmao. here anyone can login to his computer and install whatever they want... what 's the point of this exercise?

8:08 what program you running on the macbook to look stuff up and what program is it you use ? Could you do a video with all what you did on windows Xp on a MAC running Ventura !

I still have some memories regarding connecting unprotected XP to the internet. I think I was about 12-13 years old at the time, and I was trying to get my cousin's computer fixed. So I decided to do what I knew best, which is reinstall Windows - but the only disc I had on hand was a SP-less Windows XP, so I used that. It took *seconds* after connecting to the internet, the desktop was already filled with all sorts of shortcuts and the entire computer froze like a minute later. Pretty sure some of these icons lead straight to prn, or they pretended to (now that I think about it, some of these shortcut icons might have been my first exposure to this kind of content...). I panicked and told my cousin to call a proper IT guy to get it done 😶

tbh, even windows10/11 wont last as long without firewalls too

Pay attention people. He says he Purposely set up the network to bypass safety features, These same bypasses will allow your windows 11 pc to blow up in the same/similar fashion. I still have an XP computer I use daily. Totally safe and fine and been up and running stabile for years. What I personally would find amusing is if this Streamer didn't run this VM sanboxed and it actually has access to his network. oooops.

If you want to know, just watch a Windows Destruction stream.

Absolutely any OS would get instantly infected without fire-wall. Still using XP and w7 as personal preference at home to this day and never had a single issue for the past 15+ years.

You must be young. The router wasn't popularized post-XP. Everyone I knew, throughout the entire lifespan of XP had a router between their home PCs and the Internet. Even when doing repairs and upgrades for non-technical friends/family members, every time I found a PC connected directly to a modern and thought it would be right on internet, it turned out the provider's box was functioning as a modem+router, not just a simple modem. I've never once seen a computer connected directly to the net, exposing all ports. I personally would assume a modern PC with a modern version of Windows would be infected just as easily if connected directly. Albeit probably not quite so quickly perhaps.

this is sooo ironic. i just installed a XP ISO file lollll

The title of the video should've been "what happens if you disable your firewall on the Internet in 2024?", and the answer is "same thing that would've happened any year: bad stuff"

This video is the equivalent to the one "Checking the BMW X5 security level against thieves" in which the first instruction is, "Park it at night in dangerous área with the Windows opened"

Is it true that you'll be infected within 30 minutes of connecting online using Windows XP? Or is it because you're injecting some malware using the host computer?

2:23 XP's firewall is what prevents the machine from accepting random connections ,yet you get out of your way to disable it ...Why ? If you do the same on newer windows it will get attacked too.

Best demonstration of why they’re called “viruses” This should be mandatory viewing in security/networking classes.

This absolutely contrived and runs XP in a way that makes it worse than it is even on its own. Yea if you remove all safetiess from any version of windows and expose it to the internet without and standard safeties you'll cause yourself trouble. Hate to inform you but people ran routers and firewalls back in the XP days as well.

Thumbs up if you came here from Mutahar.

No firewall and no anti virus? What is even the point of this video then. Like duh no wonder.

Just wondering, would running this in a VM be safe with host to XP and vice versa communication? (on a unix machine though)

this happened because: you used Windows XP SP1 which wasn't used widely for 20 years, +you used IE6 which is also 20 years outdated +you turned off the FireWall +if you did all these other things on Windows 11 you will end up the same way like on Windows XP.

You should do a video about how safe XP is on the internet... with the damn firewall turned on.

because we all know windows XP came with mozilla firefox pre installed.......

0:39 People like me used a router before it was a "requirement". Nowadays ISPs give a modem/router combo with a built-in firewall. Setting up DMZs to stream movies with people or play LAN games online with Hamachi, Tunngle, etc was a lot of fun. 10-20 years ago people thought you were magic for being able to watch a movie stored on one PC from another

what tool are you using to check the established connections?

2:50 "xp sp3 worm"

on SP3 firewall is on by default so it would be kinda unrealistic (and also very stupid) to run XP with these settings

Main issue with this is having it directly exposed to the internet. If you need, for whatever reason (I have some hardware that somehow only has app + drivers just for 32bit XP and doesn't work on anything like even 7) to install XP, just use a VM, isolate it from the internet and use it to install whatever software you need. I would even recommend to use things like VM snapshots so you can recover an older state easily.

I love this sort of thing! Can you run some other outdated systems, what happens if you connect MS-DOS to the open web? Are there any linux distros that are known for vulnerabilities that get attacked when they connect online too? Really enjoy your voice too, it's soothing!

Disabled automatic updates on purpose (yes XP is EOL but who knows, if there are some updates available). Also a running FTP.exe does not imply complete control over all files. And most people in fact were behind routers when XP was introduced. This showcase is pure academic.

When I got back into computer a little over 15 years ago. Another tech was loading a fresh install of Windows 2000 server and it started crashing. So he asked me to come upstairs and see what it was crashing. Upon watching it load up. I noticed it did something that told me it was being infected asap. He was plugged into a network provider that was a wisp and there security they had was garbage. I put a router between the two and problem solved. Great video and I forgot about some of those tricks. The malware closing the anti-virus and other clean up tools. Machines was getting infected so fast. The place I worked at was accused more than once of doing it just to get more money. At bad caps to that. Nobody wanted a PC anymore.

I've been using Windows XP as a main OS for about a month now. Never had Malware. When I am installing specific drivers or such, I first download them on a chromebook, then port them to my Laptop via USB.

Where did you get this copy of windows XP? The admina user was installed very fast, wondering if malware came with the windows install

Try again with activated Windows Firewall

As you've got Security Center I'm guessing this is the Service Pack 2 edition of XP. Curious to know what'd happen if you ran the OG/unpatched release back from 2001 ? I imagine it'd just like my first week at uni when we all plugged our laptops into our room network ports: Within an hour we all got hit with Sasser and our systems would randomly restart all throughout the day 😆

Wild that I find this video while setting up my childhood VM with XP, lol. I'm not too worried, but I'll be sure to keep it as secure as possible. Malware is a part of my childhood that I DON'T wanna re-experience. Came here from PCGamer and SomeOrdinaryGamers, btw.

It'd be pretty scary trying to run Windows XP unironically for a PC nowadays, when a system reaches its final updates and isn't supported anymore it's pretty easy to make something that bypasses all of its security protocols, then before you know it you're hit with every virus under the sun and your run is done. Hopefully Windows 11 gets massively improved or Windows 10 support never ends.

I have some old PCs that I mess around with, and I don't connect them to the internet for this exact reason. I would hate to have the system become a target, and potentially have malware spread to other systems on the network.

NGL I still have a gaming XP PC and sometimes use it online, I do have an Antivirus still running on it and haven't noticed anything weird, no personal data is stored on this pc. Its just kinda cool being able to surf the web, watch videos or listen to music on this PC. Just takes me back to simpler times in my life. Specs - 8Core FX8350, 8g of ram (4 useable) 500gb SSD, GTX 780ti.

Has this form of virus infection been around on Windows XP for a while right? Like just a few years after it's release? I recall my IT teacher in high school mentioning that this is the reason why anti-viruses are by law required in businesses (in the UK) due to something like this.

I love how you clearly just got thousands of viruses and malwarebytes only found 8