IT Security reminder for Windows 7 users in 2020

19th April 2020

As some of you may already know, back in January, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7. This means as a user, you no longer have access to security updates and patches for your Windows OS.

A statement on the Microsoft website reads;

‘You can continue using Windows 7, but your PC will become more vulnerable to security risks. Windows will operate, but you will no longer receive security and quality updates. Microsoft will no longer provide technical support for any issues.’

As stated in our previous post about Windows 7 end of life, we urge all users to move to Windows 10 where humanly possible.

Running Windows 7 in 2020

If you are still running Windows 7 and do not wish to upgrade to Windows 10 any time soon (for whatever reason), we can only stress the absolute importance of running up to date and efficient internet security software on top of your installation – to help provide additional protection while surfing online and being connected to the internet.

» Contact us to discuss best practices and recommended computer security applications for your Windows 7 machine.

As new exploits  and holes will continue to be found and targeting of non-savvy users systems who have not updated will grow, it is more important than ever to have sufficient security in place – and even that may not be enough to fully protect your computer from malicious attacks. Windows 10 has much higher levels of security than Windows 7 ever had, and some of the modern improvements to Windows Security in Windows 10 make it one of the most secure operating systems to date.

Some of Windows 10′s new security features include:

• Windows Defender – this entry level computer security behaves like a firewall to prevent threats getting into your system
• Microsoft Edge – After realising that Internet Explorer was being targeted the most for web threats, Microsoft decided it was time for a change and created their new browser named Edge, with security in mind. (Though we do still recommend Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome by a long stretch, ahead of Edge.)
• Smart Screen – works with your web browser to detect most threats trying to enter your computer and notifies you so you can make a decision about whether or not the files should be allowed in, or not.

As with most things, the more features added to a product at release, will lead to (at least initially), more bugs and issues to resolve post launch. While in most cases this is true, Windows 10 has been out for some time now and early niggles do seem to have been resolved via updates since its release.

With the added security of Windows 10, many people are questioning if they need any additional security software on their Windows machines at all. The answer to that one is still a resounding ‘Yes!’, despite the many security improvements.

As outlined above, Windows Defender is the baseline of security software, and while this does a fair job of preventing threats, it cannot stop everything and does leave you with some vulnerability and IT security issues moving forward. Smart Screen also only advises you of potential threats, recommending you do not proceed where their is cause for concern, though you can still over rule this. Modern browser market share stats indicate that most users don’t use Edge as their primary web browser either, as they have over the years built up a preference to third party browsers such as Firefox and Chrome.

With this in mind we urge everyone to opt for a sufficient anti-virus / internet security solution to run on your Windows system. These dedicated applications aside from their increased quality of security on offer, also provide:

• Customisable or on-demand scanning of your system (we recommend quick scanning weekly and full scanning at least once a month)
• Scheduled and customisable updates; you can decide how long to wait between updates with most security applications now making available update checks on an hourly basis to ensure you have the latest protection in place, and when to install the updates too.
• Safe browsing settings to allow black-listing and filtering of potentially unwanted websites and web traffic.
• Some also include a ‘safe browsing tab’ where your browser opens up in an encrypted fashion to help keep your passwords more secure.

The market for internet security software is wide and varied in terms of what is on offer at the moment, and it can be puzzling trying to decide which is the best option for you. However, getting additional security in place on your Windows PC or laptop is vital and one of the most important things you must do, if you plan on surfing the web!

We offer free and impartial advice on all manner of Internet Security software, and free trials of some of the latest anti-virus and internet security products available.

Supply or install, on-site or remotely if you wish, our installation service provides additional and bespoke configuration to help improve your computing experience too, be that; silent protection that runs in the background or a more visible experience so you are kept in the loop and aware of what is going on with your system in terms of security.

If you would like to discuss your IT security needs for your PC, laptop or indeed office or place of work IT network, then don’t hesitate to get in touch, or give us a call on 0844 589 9946 – we’d be delighted to hear from you!

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