As of January 14th 2020, Microsoft has discontinued support of Windows 7. This end of support allows Windows 7 to continue to operate on machines, but Microsoft will no longer implement security patches. This week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, put out a warning addressing security risks for those continuing to use Windows 7.
The FBI announced that cyber criminals are now targeting Windows 7 machines because they are more vulnerable without the necessary security patches provided by Microsoft. The FBI is urging companies to upgrade workstations to a newer operation system, such as Windows 10, as soon as possible.
In addition to Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 also reached their end of support lifecycle at the beginning of 2020. Microsoft is no longer providing free security updates on premises, non-security updates, free support options and online technical content updates. While users can continue to use these products, they will also be vulnerable to data breaches and other cybersecurity threats.
Don’t spend another minute putting your business at risk for a cyber-attack. For assistance upgrading your devices, please reach out to us.