14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Vista will reach end of support on April 11, with no other patches and security updates to be released beyond this date.
This means users who are still running Windows Vista on their computers would remain vulnerable to attacks, as security flaws in the operating system would no longer be addressed by the company.
The US-CERT has issued a statement to warn of the approaching end of support for Windows Vista, emphasizing how important it is for users still running this version to upgrade to newer Windows.
“All software products have a lifecycle. After April 11, 2017, Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Vista operating system. After this date, this product will no longer receive: Security updates, Non-security hotfixes, Free or paid assisted support options, or Online technical content updates from Microsoft,” the warning posted on its website reads.
Few people running it
The retirement of Windows Vista shouldn’t be such a critical moment for Microsoft, as only a few computers still run it. Third-party data shows that less than 1 percent of the world’s PCs are still on Windows Vista and there are big chances for this market share to drop substantially in the coming weeks, before end of support is reached.
“Computers running the Windows Vista operating system will continue to work even after support ends. However, using unsupported software may increase the risks of viruses and other security threats. Users and administrators are encouraged to upgrade to a currently supported operating system,” the US-CERT continues.
It goes without saying that the option making most sense is Windows 10, which is the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system, but in this case, hardware upgrades might also be necessary in order to cope with its hardware requirements.
Windows 7, on the other hand, can be considered just a temporary solution given that it also reaches end of support in January 2020, so another upgrade would be necessary in three years’ time.