Microsoft support for the Windows 10 operating system ends on October 14. This means that after that date, technical support, feature updates, and security updates will no longer be provided. There are three possible solutions and if not done, they will open up possible IT security and privacy risks. Doing nothing is the only wrong choice.
Self-assessment for the right decision
If an operating system is at the end of its life, digital adversaries immediately carry out passive analysis on the web (scanning) to verify the existence of systems affected by expired vulnerabilities, with the aim of exploiting them: in fact, they try to take advantage of a case that some organizations have not prepared in time.
Any organization adopting a legacy operating system, if not already, should re-evaluate the risks in relation to the number of devices involved, the type of data being managed and the likelihood of adopting one of the solutions, especially in relation to the costs involved compared to the cost of potential damage. But the risks can involve update compatibility with the company’s legacy software and user downtime, leading to lost productivity. Whatever the company’s situation, there is no one-size-fits-all option. Each entity must conduct a self-evaluation in order to proceed in an appropriate and informed manner.
Three solutions
The recommendations coming directly from the parent company concern three possible options: update to the next version of the Windows 11 operating system on your device, if only if the device is suitable to support this step (and you can check in the ‘check for updates’ section if the automatic notification has not arrived); buy a new device equipped with Windows 11 if the old device is not suitable for the new system; Join the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program via paid registration for one year of support (until October 14, 2026), giving you time to decide on a hardware upgrade or replacement.
Potential risks
Users still using Windows 10 are almost 60% enterprises with 53% home users and even 8.5% continuing to use the outdated Windows 7, whose support from Microsoft ended in 2020 (Source Kaspersky Study). The increased risk of not choosing a solution exposes you to significant security and privacy risks, as these operating systems become more vulnerable to digital attacks and may also become incompatible with installed and installed software and its security updates.
