Windows 10 Security Threat Draws Near — What Can 400 Million Users Do With Microsoft Ending Support?

A week from now, on Oct. 14, Microsoft will end its support for Windows 10, and if statistics are to be believed, that will leave around 400 million computers vulnerable to cyber threats.

According to recent research, Windows 10 is still being used by around 40.8% of desktop users. This means around 600 million PCs are still running Windows 10. In a week’s time, a majority of them will be left without software updates, technical assistance, and security fixes from Microsoft.

Reports suggest that of these 600 million PCs, around 400 million will be continuing with Windows 10 even after Oct. 14 simply because hardware upgrades won’t be possible at such short notice.

Contrast that with “when support for Windows 8 ended in January 2016, only 3.7% of Windows users were still using it,” according to advocacy group PIRG, which added that “only 2.2% of Windows users were still using Windows 8.1 when support ended in January 2023.” Additionally, PIRG has called Windows 10 end-of-support a “looming security disaster.”

The long-term solution is to simply upgrade to Windows 11. However, Microsoft has placed hardware requirements for the upgrade, and most users will simply not be able to do that since it requires buying a new machine with compatible hardware.

For personal users, Microsoft had provided some free options. By using 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or backing up data to the Windows Backup cloud service, users can get a free upgrade. These points can be earned by using Microsoft services such as Bing searches, Xbox games, and Microsoft Store purchases. However, with Windows 10 support ending, this time-consuming accumulation of points isn’t much of an option either.  

The last option that users are left with is to pay $30 (around Rs 2,650) for an Extended Security Updates (ESU) plan. This plan will allow users to continue getting security updates, but only for a year. 

The biggest question, however, remains that how many of the soon-to-be vulnerable 400 million users have paid $30 to enroll, or will be able to do so with just a week remaining before Windows 10 support ends.