If your refrigerator supplier stops providing maintenance services, will you “ignore it” and let the refrigerator’s fresh-keeping and refrigeration functions gradually disappear to become a hotbed for gems? Likewise, the security risks you face will only increase if you stick to computer operating systems and programs that no longer receive any official patches, technical support, and security updates.
In November last year, Microsoft announced that a series of products including Microsoft Office 2013, Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 will reach the end of support (EOS) this year [1][2]. However, according to the latest data from third-party search engine [3], as of January 2023, there are around 97,000 computers in Hong Kong that are still running on Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2.
Risks of Using End of Support Applications and Operating Systems:
- Since EOS Applications and Operating Systems (OSs) will no longer receive any patches, technical support, and security updates, whenever new security vulnerabilities appear, hackers and malware are easier to infiltrate, leading to a higher risk of a data breach;
- Running EOS applications and OSs might lead to software compatibility issues; and
- Due to compliance regulation and system security policy of specific industries, using the EOS OSs might not be certified or lead to compliance issues
To understand more, read the full supportive advice. https://www.hkcert.org/blog/upgrade-your-end-of-support-windows-products-as-soon-as-possible
