After more than 10 years of service, Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system was officially retired on January 14, 2020. And yet millions upon millions of users continue to use the outdated operating system. According to a report from consumer leader Which?, more than one in ten computers (13%) continue to run Windows 7, despite the security risks involved. These numbers are corroborated by data from Statcounter, which suggests that Windows 7 is currently used on 18,03% of all Windows devices, which together account for more than three-quarters of the entire PC market. Rough estimates suggest that there are now more than two billion computers in circulation in the world, which, if correct, would mean that more than 200 million would still be running the outdated operating system.
Loyal to Windows 7
When asked why they haven't upgraded to a newer operating system yet, the majority of respondents (30%) said they weren't willing to pay for an upgrade. to the level. Another 22% say Windows 7 is easier to use and 16% have no devices that can run Windows 10. However, with Windows 7 no longer receiving major updates, it is essential that users upgrade to a newer operating system. new, regardless of the cost that this may entail. Knowing that Microsoft will no longer provide security patches for outdated operating systems, cybercriminals can devote resources to developing malware specifically designed to exploit old vulnerabilities. Considering the large number of computers still running on unsupported operating systems such as Windows 7, the attacks can be very lucrative. In the infamous 2017 WannaCry incident, for example, hackers took advantage of the large number of machines running outdated versions of Windows to run a sophisticated ransomware campaign. The advice for users who want to stay as secure as possible is to upgrade to Windows 10 (or another alternative operating system) and protect devices with a cutting-edge antivirus solution. Users whose Windows 7 devices are not powerful or large enough to run the latest version of Windows, on the other hand, will need to buy a new device. "If you're actually connected to your old PC (for example, you know your hardware can only run Windows 7), you need to make sure it's not connected to the Internet and be careful what files you access." through a USB stick. , "Which one? Informed.