Several tech giants in China are banding together to provide technical support for Windows XP in a bid to safeguard consumers against potential cyberattacks. 

Chinese tech vendors including Tencent, Kingsoft, and Sogou, among others, have pledged to offer technical aid related to system upgrades and security features, after Microsoft ends its Windows XP support on April 8, reported local new wire Xinhua. 

Noting that one quarter of China's computers still run on Windows XP, Ding Ke, a senior manager at Tencent, said in the report: "The upcoming shutdown will seriously affect Chinese users."

The group of Chinese tech companies said they will begin offering technical support before the April 8 shutdown to "build a hedge" against potential cyberattacks, and will continue to do so for two or three years while consumers move to a newer platform.

Windows XP still has a global market share of 29 percent, dropping 8 percent since July 2013 and just only 2 percent in the first half of 2013. Microsoft will cease all support for the nearly 12-year-old platform on April 8, including security patches and fixes, though company officials said last month it would continue to provide updates to its anti-malware signatures and Microsoft Security Essentials engine until July 14, 2015.