Why will 2019 be the safest year for Windows 7 users?
byMark Townsend
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14 Jan, 2019
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Before becoming a massive Security Risk in 2020
As Windows 7 enters its final year of year of service before Microsoft pull the plug and end support on 14th January 2020 I'm going to answer a few questions for those still favouring this trusty Operating System over Windows 10. Many of you will think you know the answer to the above question and will think it is because it has benefited from over 10 years of Microsoft security updates and therefore must be extremely secure. This is partially true but if it was the only answer then it wouldn't explain why it becomes a massive security risk overnight on January 14th 2020.
The correct answer to the question is that attacks on security vulnerabilities found by experienced hackers during 2019 will not be launched or publicised. Hackers will be working away right now trying to find vulnerabilities but instead of launching them like they usually do they will be keeping what they find to themselves. The reason for this is that they know that if they launch their attacks then Microsoft will fix the problems and issue security updates to protect everybody. If on the other hand they keep things quiet and then launch their attack on January 15th 2020 then Microsoft will not fix the problem and the vulnerability will remain forever.
There are of course some exceptions to this but it will only really affect the Business market. Some businesses will have had bespoke software written for them that runs on Windows 7 but wasn't really designed for Windows 10. They will be able to pay for Extended Support from Microsoft and will receive security patches specific to their organisation. However, Home users won't have access to this and wouldn't be able to afford to pay the prices if they did, so if you are still running Windows 7 then you need to come up with a plan during the next 12 months.
To continue from above there will be a relatively quiet period on the security front before a sustained attack on Windows 7 when support ends. It really will become a security risk overnight so if you thought you could continue to run it for another year or two I would think again. Please also bear in mind that hackers will start to publish the exploits they have found and this includes the code to run the exploits, which multiples the risk many times over. Previously you were only at risk from experienced hackers but now your neighbour's 10 year old son can get hold of the code and run his own attack on your Computer.
If you are planning to upgrade your Computer during 2019 Churchdown Computers can obtain Windows 10 licences and carry out the work for you at extremely competitive prices. On the other hand if you are buying new you will have Windows 10 pre-installed on your new Computer. I know many people will leave it until the last minute to move over but I strongly recommend you don't do this. When support ended for Windows XP the demand for Computer Support exceeded all expectations and myself and other Support Professionals were unable to keep up with the demand for assistance. This resulted in long waits for many Customers.
As always if you need any help with moving over to Windows 10 or just have some questions that you would like answered then call Mark on 07557 483438, e-mail mark@churchdowncomputers.co.uk or fill out the form at the bottom of theContact page.
