This means that critical security updates, which are used to fix dangerous vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit, will no longer be available to Windows 8.1 users. To continue receiving these vital patches, they will need to upgrade to the latest Windows 10 software. This new warning was added to Windows 8.1 after the release of the recent cumulative update KB5015874, Bleeping Computer reported. The message greeting Windows 8.1 users reads: “January 10, 2023 is the last day Microsoft will offer security updates and technical support for PCs running Windows 8.1. We’re reaching out now to thank you for your loyalty and help you prepare for the next one.” According to statistics from NetMarketShare, Windows 8.1 has a 1.63 percent share of the operating system market, which means that there are still many people with this operating system on their computers. Ahead of it are Mac OS X 10.15 (5.01 percent), Windows 7 (16.45 percent) and Windows 10 (72.06 percent). NetMarketShare does not show statistics for the Windows 11 user base. However, this data from NetMarketShare shows the security risks many Windows users face. Windows 7 is still used by a significant number of people, despite the fact that the operating system reached the end of support in 2020, This means that for years Windows 7 users have not received the necessary security updates that would protect them from bugs and vulnerabilities. Anyone using Windows 8.1 after its support end date will also face the same situation. And the danger of doing so was highlighted some time ago. The WannaCry ransomware attacks are some of the most high-profile hacking attacks in recent years. This global cyber attack saw victims’ data encrypted, with Windows machines specifically targeted. Bad actors demanded Bitcoin payments as ransom to unlock the data he had stolen. And this attack hit the NHS particularly hard, with the disruption estimated to have cost the health service £92 million. The NHS was hit hard by WannaCry as some machines were still running the unsupported Windows XP operating system. If you are using Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, then it is best to upgrade to a newer version of Windows as soon as possible to protect your PC from any unpatched and future threats.
