Microsoft knows “many millions of users will not buy new devices or pay for extended support” when Windows 10 goes end of life in October, a new lawsuit alleges. “These users,” it claims, “will be at a heightened risk of a cyberattack or other data security incident, a reality of which Microsoft is well aware.”
The lawsuit filed in California by Lawrence Klein, the owner of two Windows 10 laptops set to become obsolete in 8 weeks, “seeks injunctive relief requiring Microsoft to continue providing support for Windows 10 without additional fees or conditions until the number of devices running the operating system falls below a reasonable threshold.”
Around 45% of all window users are still on the soon to be obsolete version of the OS and must now act to ensure PCs are safe from attack. That number was dropping, albeit it has seen a reverse following Microsoft’s decision to offer caring support extensions. That means 700 million users will be affected come October 14.
Klein says Microsoft decided to kill the older OS when “Windows 10 users represented more than half of the Windows operating system (OS) market share.” He also references the 240 million PCs that cannot upgrade, “forcing” users to “buy new devices capable of running Windows 11 or pay unanticipated sums for extended support.”
Putting upgrade costs aside, the security risks are clear. Microsoft’s “long-term business strategy” Klein says, “will have the effect of jeopardizing data security not only of Microsoft’s customers but also of persons who may not use Microsoft’s products at all.”
