The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has published a warning notice highlighting dangers posed by the continued usage of Windows 7, retired by Microsoft in January 2020.

(Source - Tech Radar ) The much-loved operating system reached end of life on January 14, meaning security patches, software updates and technical assistance are no longer available - but many users have remained loyal to the outdated OS regardless.

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However, according to the FBI notice, Windows 7 is attracting the attention of malicious cyber actors, who are seeking to take advantage of undiscovered security flaws in the no-longer-supported operating system.

With the vast majority of Windows 7 customers unable to patch their systems, the intelligence agency believes criminals will continue to look upon the operating system as a “soft target”.

 “The FBI has observed cybercriminals targeting computer network infrastructure after an operating system achieves end of life status,” reads the FBI notice.
 
 “Continuing to use Windows 7 within an enterprise may provide cybercriminals access into computer systems. As time passes, Windows 7 becomes more vulnerable to exploitation due to lack of security updates and new vulnerabilities discovered.”
 
So you have been warned if you are still on Windows 7 it is seriously time to upgrade to WIndows 10 and retire your old computer.