![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Even if you are using up-to-date software you still need to be vigilant when it comes to cybersecurity. If any computers used by your council are running Windows 7 then action needs to be taken to protect your network from cybercrime. What can councils do to avoid being targeted by cybercriminals? For example, the huge breach of Equifax in 2017 was due to out-of-date systems, and the recent ransomware attack on Travelex on New Year’s Eve 2019 was reportedly the result of a known vulnerability in VPN software. Indeed, some of the largest data breaches in recent years have been linked to unpatched vulnerabilities. According to Gartner, unpatched systems remain one of the top causes of cyber-security breaches – with an estimated 99% of the system vulnerabilities that are targeted being known flaws at the time. Now, all computers running Windows 7 risk being targeted for a similar attack. This was because hundreds of thousands of computers around the world were left unpatched and effectively wide open to attack. This is because software is not always up to date, and cybercriminals aim to act quickly to exploit these before developers are able to fix the problem.įor example, the ‘WannaCry’ ransomware attack in 2017 exploited a known vulnerability in Windows software despite Microsoft releasing a fix for the issue months before the attack. Hackers are always on the look-out for so-called ‘zero-day’ vulnerabilities – which are bugs and flaws that software developers do not know about – but they also look to exploit vulnerabilities that are known to developers. They can now look to exploit bugs in the software for malicious purposes, such as gaining access to your network and stealing data. The decision by Microsoft to effectively cut Windows 7 loose and provide no further updates presents cybercriminals around the world with a huge opportunity. Windows 7 EOL presents huge opportunity for cybercriminals ![]() Now, any future security issues for Windows 7 will not be included in Microsoft’s updates. Microsoft fixed the issue in a round of updates on 14 January 2020, but that was the last ever series of updates for Windows 7. Just last month the US National Security Agency warned of serious new vulnerabilities it had found in Windows – including Windows 7 and even the latest version of Windows 10. Computers that are running unsupported or unpatched software such as Windows 7 are much more vulnerable to viruses, malware and cyber-attacks, which is why cyber security experts have advised Windows 7 users to upgrade their operating system at the earliest possible opportunity.Īn estimated 200 million computers are still thought to be running Windows 7, which is now more than a decade old and increasingly vulnerable to the latest cyber-attack tactics. There is an option to sign up to Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates, although this only lasts for three years.Ĭouncils that still use Windows 7 could therefore now be at greater risk of being targeted by cybercriminals. January 14th 2020 marked the scheduled End of Life for Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system, which means the technology company will no longer provide security updates and patches to its widely used software. ![]()
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