What next for Windows 10 systems now that the end of life date has passed? While another year's worth of Microsoft support is available if you enrol for the Extended Security Update (ESU) program - free for users in the European Economic Area - legacy Windows 10 systems are now firmly in the crosshairs of threat actors, according to Kaseya Labs' Mike Puglia writing in this issue of the newsletter.

"The number of systems still on Windows 10 far exceeds previous Windows transitions," warns Mike. "When Windows 7 reached EOL in 2020, less than 10% of SMB machines were yet to upgrade at this same point. The difference? Windows 11's hardware requirements. Computers built from 2018 onwards generally qualify, but many millions of older machines worldwide don't make the cut." The clock is ticking for any unpatched, unsupported Win 10 legacy systems still out there, and in his article Mike explores the three viable paths ahead to secure them from would-be attackers: moving to Win 11, replacing Win 10 hardware, or buying the ESUs to support them for the next twelve months.

And as Scott Walker, Chief Architect, Orange Cyberdefense points out, even this poses challenges for some UK sectors. "Several sectors defined by the UK as critical national infrastructure - such as government, financial services, and energy & utilities - are still dependent on legacy IT systems. And, often, the older the hardware is, the less likely its OS can be updated, meaning these companies are faced with the significant cost of purchasing new hardware. It's no easy feat, nor is it quick. Given this, it's likely that some will miss the end of life deadline. It's also plausible that, within immense networks of devices, some could be missed and could continue to run on Windows 10. As such, it's crucial to instate mitigations to navigate this period of change."

On a positive note, UK tech charity Rebooted is using the end of Win 10 support to in turn support disadvantaged families and young people by reworking donated Win 10 kit. "Companies are calling us to see if we can take away their old Windows 10 kit and very often we can," said charity boss James Tweed. "So if your company is still holding on to old Windows 10 laptops, they don't need to go in the bin, they can be used for good." Read the news section in this issue for more info.

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