Microsoft reveals older Windows users are playing with fire

Despite many security enhancements included in the most recent versions of Windows, having updated antivirus software on a system is still an obligation, considering the number of attacks and ransomware.

But stats provided by Microsoft show that users who use the older version of Windows are at risk, as many of them don’t run any antivirus on their systems, while others keep them off.

The data was published by the software company in the Security Intelligence Report Volume 22 concerns systems that aren’t listed as ‘protected,’ meaning they aren’t using an updated antivirus solution due to several reasons. In the case of Windows Vista and Windows 7 installs, the top reason is that users haven’t installed any antivirus.

With the Windows 10 users the biggest problem here is outdated and snoozed antivirus solutions. Both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 come with Windows Defender pre-installed, and even if third-party protection is disabled or removed, antivirus security is still offered. Just like any other antivirus, users need to update the Windows Defender as well, and the company ships new definitions regularly to make sure the latest threats are detected and blocked.