The End of an Era and the Beginning of Trouble
Category
Vulnerabilities
Risk Level
As Rafiki said in The Lion King, “It is time.”
This isn’t one of Rafiki’s prophecies: in under one month, one of the titans of productivity for corporations everywhere will ride triumphantly off into the sunset. While many tech products fade into the darkness and are abandoned, Microsoft’s flagship products that are set to retire are announced with a lot of fanfare - and for good reason. Windows is a huge part of many organizations, and Windows 7, along with a few other Microsoft operating systems, is moving to “end-of-life” and is headed for the elephant graveyard.
“Is this the circle of life?”
Yes and no. All tech products have a “life cycle” where they are designed, developed, released, maintained, and eventually retired. In this case, we’re talking about the “end-of-life,” or the retired piece in particular. We’ve talked about this before, but to refresh your memory, when a tech product becomes “end-of-life” that means the manufacturer will no longer support it or make any changes. Effectively, they are abandoning it, which means they will no longer make sure it’s safe and secure. Apple does something similar with their oldest iPhones.
On January 14, 2020, Microsoft will stop supporting the following products:
Windows 7
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 R2
The above list includes some of the most notable products, but a full list of “end-of-life” products can be found here. Some other noteworthy ones that are coming up include Internet Explorer 10 (January 31) and Microsoft Office 2010 (October 13).
“So what does all of that mean?”
It means that starting January 14, hackers will race to find vulnerabilities, or holes in the code, of those operating systems. If they are successful, Microsoft won’t do anything about it. That means that all of your information will be at risk. Even worse, some of these hackers may already have found a vulnerability and are waiting to use it until January 15.
“I still use one of these, or maybe I don’t? I don’t know”
If you know you or your organization are still using one of these Microsoft products, you need to upgrade right away! Move to Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 before that day or you won’t be saying “Hakuna Matata.”
If you’re unsure about whether your organization is still relying on “end-of-life” products, let’s talk about our Vulnerability Assessment. We’ll be able to help you pinpoint where your organization is most and risk and set you on the path to close off any opportunities for hackers to take advantage of you. Ready to talk? Click the button below to start the conversation.
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