Windows 7 will be discontinued by Microsoft today

Jan 14, 2020 08:11 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft will end the support for Windows 7 today, so devices still running it would no longer receive security updates and patches.

In this context, the British intelligence agency GCHQ recommends users to stop using Windows 7 and make the switch to Windows 10 as soon as possible.

If this isn’t possible, you should at least use a different device where security updates are still available to connect to the Internet and access sensitive data such as emails.

“The NCSC would encourage people to upgrade devices currently running Windows 7, allowing them to continue receiving software updates which help protect their devices. We would urge those using the software after the deadline to replace unsupported devices as soon as possible, to move sensitive data to a supported device and not to use them for tasks like accessing bank and other sensitive accounts,” a spokesperson for the NCSC told The Telegraph.

Free upgrades

NCSC, also known as the National Cyber Security Center, is a division of GCHQ.

“They should also consider accessing email from a different device,” the spokesperson continued.

According to third-party data provided by NetMarketShare, Windows 7 is currently running on more than 26% of the desktop computers worldwide.

Despite Microsoft insisting for Windows 7 users to make the switch to Windows 10, Windows 8.1 is also an option, as it continues to receive updates until 2023. Windows 10, on the other hand, is the long-term solution, and installing the latest feature updates would essentially provide devices with continuous support.

Upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10 is possible without any cost through a loophole that Microsoft is believed to have intentionally ignored in the last few years. The upgrade was originally supposed to be free in the first 12 months after the launch of Windows 10, but the switch is still available at no cost today.