The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) warned of the security risks that organizations face if they continue to use the Windows 7 operating system despite its end of life (EOL) status.In a private industry notification published on August 3, the FBI explained that it had witnessed computer criminals exploiting operating systems that had achieved EOL status to infiltrate organizations’ networks.The law enforcement agency went on to warn of these security risks in reference to Windows 7, an operating system which reached its end of life on January 14, 2020. As quoted in the notification:As time passes, Windows 7 becomes more vulnerable to exploitation due to lack of security updates and new vulnerabilities discovered. Microsoft and other industry professionals strongly recommend upgrading computer systems to an actively supported operating system.The FBI highlighted several specific threats involving Windows 7 to spur organizations into action. For instance, it referenced the discovery that 98% of the computers infected in the 2017 WannaCry outbreak had been running an unpatched version of Windows 7.#WannaCry infection distribution by the Windows version. Worst hit – Windows 7 x64. The Windows XP count is insignificant. pic.twitter.com/5GhORWPQij— Costin Raiu (@craiu) May 19, 2017
The FBI reasoned that digital criminals would likely continue to treat the operating system as a “soft target” now that fewer users could maintain a patched device running Windows 7.Additionally, the FBI noted that malicious actors had weaponized a vulnerability called “
continued
windows
poses
security
risks
given
status
