Vladimir Putin's computer is still running Windows XP and ‘hasn't been updated in five years’, pictures show

RUSSIA is often being accused of hacking but recent reports suggest the country is falling a little bit behind with some of its tech.

That's because Russian website Open Media spotted that President Vladimir Putin's computers in his Kremlin office and residence are running Windows XP and there are photos to prove it.

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Windows XP is a now obsolete software system that was released back in 2001.

It's so outdated that Microsoft stopped releasing updates for it five years ago.

However, photographs of Putin in his office show that he was using the software fairly recently.

The Russian president probably hasn't updated because he is wary of tech in general as he previously called the internet a CIA project.

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However, not updating your software can also leave you vulnerable.

Tom Murphy, then-director of communications for Windows at Microsoft, told CNET in back 2014: "Windows XP was launched in 2001, which meant the design and engineering of it took place in the late 90s into 2000, which was a very different world when we think about the profiles of the malware and the profiles of the hackers and bad people attacking PCs on the Internet.

"It was a much simpler time."

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Open Media revealed that Windows XP is the last Microsoft system to be approved for official Russian government computers.

People with computers that don't hold state secrets can use Windows 10.

Russia is taking steps to move away from the global internet and create its own national network.

The country plans to replace Microsoft and Apple software with its own domestic systems by 2025-2030.

Putin also signed a law this month stating that all smartphones, TVs and computers sold in the country should come with Russian software pre-installed.

How long has Putin been President of Russia?

Here's some Putin facts...

• Vladimir Putin has been President of Russia twice - previously from  2000 to 2008, before being re-elected in 2012.
• Between the two terms, he served as Russia's Prime Minister.
• His first stint in a position of power came in  1999, after the then-Russian president Boris Yeltsin dismissed his prime minister and promoted former KGB officer Vladimir Putin in his place.
• In December 1999, Yeltsin resigned, appointing Putin president until official elections were held in March 2000.
• He was elected to his first term with 53 per cent of the vote, and was re-elected for a follow-up four year term in 2004.
• Due to constitutional term limits, Putin was prevented from running for the presidency in 2008.
• Instead he was appointed prime minister by his successor, Dmitry Medvedev, allowing him to maintain a primary position of influence for the next four years.
• Putin was re-elected to the presidency in March 2012 and later won a fourth term, keeping him in power until the present day.

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In other news, a 'catastrophic' Google Chrome update has been wiping data from people’s phones without their permission.

Chrome users were warned in August that up to 4million of them may have had their photos and videos nicked.

And, Apple is set to launch the ‘thinnest ever’ iPad and Macbook Pro in 2020.

Are you surprised that Putin isn't using the latest software? Let us know in the comments...

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