14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is getting ready to release Windows 10 November 2019 Update, and now the company warns of the end-of-support for older versions of the operating system.
As I already reported to you earlier this week, Microsoft retired Windows 10 version 1703 (Creators Update) completely on October 8, with no SKU currently getting updates.
Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update) is the next to be discontinued on November 12, but this time only updates for Home and Pro SKUs would be terminated. Enterprise and Education editions of this Windows 10 version will continue to be offered.
Upgrade ASAP
Microsoft urges customers to upgrade to supported versions of Windows 10 as soon as possible, highlighting a couple of security flaws discovered in the OS and which without patches could leave the door open for malicious actors.
“Microsoft security updates and patches for vulnerabilities like DejaBlue (CVE-2019-1181/1182) and BlueKeep (CVE-2019-0708), for example, are available for supported operating systems. As a result, we strongly recommend that you update your devices to the latest version of Windows 10 to have access to future critical security fixes,” Microsoft’s John Wilcox explains.
Wilcox goes on to note that the most exposed devices are the ones that aren’t as frequently used as a work laptop, for example.
“From talking to customers, we’ve found that infrequently used devices are particularly at risk for falling behind on updates. This includes devices primarily used for travel or demos, kiosks, secondary and shared devices, and devices used for training. Laptops with aggressive power management policies are also at risk for falling out of service as those policies can disrupt update attempts,” he says.
Upgrading to a newer version of Windows 10 can be done from Windows Update, while enterprises are provided with additional tools, such as Windows Update for Business, coming with extra resources like cloud updates and more business-specific controls.