Windows 10 is officially the most popular desktop operating system on the planet. The latest figures from NetMarketShare show Microsoft’s latest and greatest software now accounts for a massive huge 57.08 percent of all desktop operating system installs worldwide – that’s up from 53.6 percent in December 2019.
While that might sound like the sort of news that’d have the Champagne corks popping at the firm’s HQ in Redmond, there is a worrying side to the latest statistics.
Although Windows 10 has taken a huge lead over its rivals it might not be doing quite as well as hoped. Last month, Microsoft announced that it would be ending support for its older Windows 7 operating system leaving millions at a much higher risk of attack fro hacker and malware.
It was thought this threat would have all Windows 7 users rushing to hit the upgrade button …but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
If the latest stats are to be believed then a whopping 25.6 percent of PC owners are still using this outdated and unsupported software. This number is only slightly lower than it was in December and means millions are putting themselves at a much higher risk of attack and the threat is serious.
Microsoft has been warning users for months that using Windows 7 could lead to PCs and personal data being placed a risk.
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In a post on its support pages, the tech giant said: “If you continue to use Windows 7 after support has ended, your PC will still work, but it will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Your PC will continue to start and run, but you will no longer receive software updates, including security updates, from Microsoft.”
And it’s not just Microsoft that is alerting users of the consequences as cybersecurity experts are also alerting users to the risk.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, McAfee’s Chief Scientist and Fellow Raj Samani said: “With Microsoft’s support for Windows 7 coming to an end, users need to be aware their potential exposure by continuing to use the outdated operating system.
“By using an unsupported operating system, users expose themselves to cybersecurity risks as Microsoft will no longer resolve security flaws found on the system, provide technical support or issue software updates.
“Cybercriminals can use this to their advantage by identifying any flaws in the system and potentially accessing consumer’s data and information. As seen previously during the end life of former operating systems, such as Windows XP.
“To ensure users do not fall victim to cybercrime related to Windows 7, users should seek an update immediately to ensure they’re supported by a system that is supported with security updates.”
If you want to know more about upgrading to the latest version of Windows 10 then you check out our full guide here.
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