Still running Windows 7 on your computer or laptop? This might be worth a read!
Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020. If you are still using Windows 7, your PC may become more vulnerable to security risks. This means that Microsoft will no longer provide security patches or support for this Operating System.
So what does this mean for you, if you are still using this software?
The FBI has “observed cybercriminals targeting computer network infrastructure after an operating system achieves end-of-life status,” and added that “continuing to use Windows 7 within an enterprise may provide cybercriminals access into computer systems.”
What does this mean? Once an Operating System reaches an end of life status, Microsoft will stop the production of potentially crucial patch updates and this includes vital security patches. So as time passes, your computer or system will become more and more vulnerable to the outside world making it a much easier target to criminals to hack your system.
The best way to fix this is to update your system. It is likely that if you’re running Windows 7, your hardware is also quite old. If so, the best course of action is to backup your data and restore to a new computer running Windows 10.
You might be thinking that it would be far too expensive to update all the computers in the company but have you thought about the cost of a security breach? On average it takes a company 200 days to identify a breach and a further 80 days to contain it! In a report published by IBM from 2018-2019, the average cost of a data breach was found to have cost a staggering $2.6m to any one Australian business.
At Cymax, we have proactively migrated all of our clients to the current version of Windows. This not only helps Cymax to keep clients computers/systems up to date with the latest in security patches and other important patches but it also means that our client’s version of programs are compatible with the people they work with on a day to day basis and keeps their systems and information safe.
If replacing the software is completely out of the question, then the Windows 7 device/s should be isolated as much as possible to protect the system. Preferably isolating to an untrusted zone on your network. Also disabling unnecessary services will reduce the attack surface. Disabling the Server Service and Remote Desktop on Windows 7 are a good start. Making your passwords stronger will not help in this instance.
If you need further support or have any further questions, please give our office a call and we would be happy to help you find a solution that is right for your company.
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