In a move that will surprise few people, it’s been revealed that banks and ATM operators are finally considering switching to Linux-based operating systems as a replacement for the dying Windows XP that currently powers the vast majority of the world’s cash machines. What’s more surprising is that these organizations are only considering the switch now – a testament perhaps, to the conservatism displayed by the financial industry as a whole.

“Windows XP currently powers nearly 95% of ATMs around the world,” writes Jaikumar Vijayan in ComputerWorld. Microsoft’s long-running operating system, which will stop receiving support next month, was a vastly popular choice for ATMs and other embedded systems for more than a decade, as attested to by the dozens of Blue Screens of Death seen in odd places over the years.

ComputerWorld reports that when Microsoft’s April 8 deadline passes, more than 60 percent of the 400,000-odd ATMs will still be running the outdated OS, which the company says will become a huge security risk as time goes by.

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), which is responsible for overseeing security standards in the payments industry, has already noted that ATMs still on Windows XP after April 8 will need to have certain compensating controls in place to be considered PCI compliant.

Many have already moved, or are in the process of moving, to Windows 7, the next available Windows upgrade for ATM systems. But some are considering ditching Windows altogether, and instead relying on Linux, which they believe offers advantages due to its open-source nature, and the fact that it gives ATM operators more control over their hardware and software upgrade cycles.

For now, we can assume that most financial firms will just keep their ATMs on Windows XP in the meantime. Even so, Windows XP is most definitely on its death bed, and despite various pleas by organizations for Microsoft to continue providing support, it seems intent on killing it off asap.

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