Security News > 2020 > August > FBI announcement on Windows 7 end of life prompts worry from security experts
Security experts detailed a litany of concerns following an announcement on Monday from the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the official end of life for Windows 7.
"As time passes, Windows 7 becomes more vulnerable to exploitation due to lack of security updates and new vulnerabilities discovered. With fewer customers able to maintain a patched Windows 7 system after its end of life, cybercriminals will continue to view Windows 7 as a soft target," the FBI notice said.
Microsoft announced the end of life for Windows 7 on Jan. 14, but thousands of hospitals, schools, and government offices still use the operating system for a variety of reasons.
Dozens of security experts laid out the problems organizations may face when trying to transition away from Windows 7.
"It doesn't matter how strong a user's password is if Windows 7 will just hand it over in clear text. Patching end-of-support systems like Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 can be done, but it requires both paying Microsoft additional fees for the out of support and also making additional configuration changes to every system in order for them to receive ongoing updates," Clements said.