In the UK, the Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ, is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom.
The organization is recommending that users upgrade their devices to Windows 10
Microsoft will be ending its extended support for the operating system which was launched back in October of 2009.
According to The Telegraph, more than 440 million people around the world are still using Windows 7.
Windows 10 Home, aimed at casual users, costs $139/£119 if you purchase it from Microsoft’s website.
While the firm recommends that users jump to Windows 10, if you’re still on Windows 8.1, that will be supported until 2023.
A spokesperson from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, said:
“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.
They should also consider accessing email from a different device.”
Support for Windows 7 will end tomorrow – January 14th, 2020.
Source: The Telegraph
