Insecure PCs “are ticking time bombs”
Outdated operating system is being phased out – the number of insecure Windows computers is rising sharply
In the foreseeable future, almost three million insecure Windows PCs will be on the road in Germany.
© Source: Florian Schuh/dpa-tmn
Berlin. In the foreseeable future, almost three million insecure Windows PCs will be on the road in Germany. Thorsten Urbanski from the security company ESET pointed this out on Thursday. The Microsoft Windows 7 operating system, which has been outdated for years, runs on 1.7 million computers. Around one million computers have the Windows 8.1 system installed, for which technical support from Microsoft will expire next week (January 10). This no longer closes security gaps in Windows 8.1.
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End of support for Windows 8.1: “Switch to current Windows versions” strongly recommended
“The insecure Windows computers are ticking time bombs,” Urbanski told the German Press Agency. For cybercriminals, these computers are easy targets to attack. “A known and unclosed security gap is enough – and in the worst case the computers are open like a barn door.” Nevertheless, many users continue to underestimate the security risk of an outdated version of Windows.
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Urbanski showed little understanding for the use of outdated systems by private users or users in companies, authorities or organizations. “Especially operating system dinosaurs like Windows 7, whose end of support was several years ago, should finally be retired,” demanded the expert. The same applies to Windows 8.1 from January 10, 2023. Because support is ending here too and there will no longer be any free security updates for private users. “I strongly advise switching to the latest Windows versions,” said Urbanski.
RND/dpa