Why Your Windows PC May Become More Prone To Cyber Attacks From October
Consumer Reports questioned the idea of consumers having to shell out a lot of cash to purchase new hardware, or in some cases, a new computer in order to run Windows 11.
Microsoft will be ending support for Windows 10 from Oct. 14 onwards, leaving over 46% of PCs vulnerable to cyber attacks, according to data cited by Consumer Reports on Wednesday.
Consumer Reports wrote a letter to Satyan Nadella, chief executive officer of the firm, asking him to extend the deadline, citing the many users who would be disadvantaged by the move.
PC users who wish to avail security updates for Windows 10 will have to pay $30 for them for an extension of up to one year, according to reports.
The organisation questioned the idea of consumers having to shell out a lot of cash to purchase new hardware, or in some cases, a new computer in order to run Windows 11.
"Arguing that Windows 11 is an essential upgrade to boost cybersecurity while also leaving hundreds of millions of machines more vulnerable to cyber attacks is hypocritical, especially while charging consumers $30 for a mere one-year extension to preserve their machine’s security," Consumer Reports said in its letter.
Hardware requirements for Windows 11 such as a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 and a 64-bit processor, would require some users to purchase a new device to upgrade to the operating system.
The organisation stated that even if Microsoft partners and retailers stopped selling machines that can't run Windows 11 at the time of the launch, its research showed that many users would still use incompatible devices today.
"Based on a Consumer Reports member survey of 100,606 laptop and desktop computer owners (Jan-Mar 2025), over 95% of all laptop and desktop computers purchased since the beginning of 2019 and owned for no more than five years were still in use when members were surveyed," Consumer Reports said.
It further reported that 20% of its members who owned a Microsoft laptop reported owning them for at least four years, compared to just 13% of its members who owned any other brand of laptop for the same time period.
"We see similar trends when looking at all Windows OS-compatible computer brands in our sample (Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and Intel), as 15% of our members who own a Windows OS-compatible laptop or desktop brand have owned them for at least four years," Consumer Reports said.
