Never heard of it!!!
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While I understand what I consider to be your overly pessimistic view of Windows 10’s prospects going forward, I also recognize that the OSes current market share is greater than that of Windows 11, and that for as long as that continues, most software running on Windows 10 will continue to be supported by the product’s owner/parent company/organization, regardless whether it’s a commercial or open source product.
The difference between Windows 10 and all the earlier Windows versions you’ve mentioned is that Win-10 has a greater market share than the release following it to market (Windows 11), and as long as that remains largely true, the software running on it will continue to be supported, even if the OS itself is not.
If you have any compelling and valid reasons to contradict what I’m saying here, I’ll gladly evaluate them, and if it’s appropriate, I’ll happily adapt my thinking going forward.
Ernie
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The software running on top of Win10 may be still supported for a period, but there are 2 things to think about:
1: there’s the ESU, which basically means another year of -kind of non-free- support for Windows 10.
2: Without proper support the OS itself won’t stop or crash right that moment, but it will be in a zero-day state.
Almos every week security patches are presented by MS, which fix some vulnerabilities.
Any new vulnerability found in Windows 10 will not be patched without proper support.
So continuing to use the unsuported Win10 will result in an increasing risk with the time, as the unpatched system is in contnously in zero-day state.
Even new vulnerabilites found in Windows 11 may apply to Win 10 too, as they share quite a high amount of code.
So keeping the unsupported OS from my point of view is acceptable only if doesn’t have network exposure.
If we are talking windows market share
Windows 10 at 40 %
Windows 11 at 49 %
Windows 7 still has 10 % and that stopped updates some time back
Sadly linux only gets less than 2 % unless we cheat and add android into the équation…..
I think that sounds pretty reasonable. I try to avoid risky behavior anyway, but I would be extra careful once W10 goes EOL.
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Do you think operating behind NAT is sufficient, or do you mean pull the plug?
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What you say is true, but since Windows 10 has not received any feature updates since (IIRC) sometime early in 2025, and the vast majority of vulnerabilities that are discovered are introduced by the installation of feature updates, the OS itself has been essentially static for up to about nine months, while monthly security patches have continued to be provided up to, and including the October 2025 Patch Tuesday. This means that most if not all vulnerabilities have been patched, minimizing the risk of new zero days being discovered in Windows 10.
Additionally, if you use a hardware firewall, configured to ignore all incoming connection requests, your home network will be essentially invisible on the Internet, so crackers won’t even know that it even exists, making your computer invisible to third parties as well, because only websites you connect to will be able to see your computer. On top of the above points, if you keep any third party software you use and your anti-malware suite as up to date as possible, and you employ best security practices while on the Internet, then any risk you face will be only marginally greater than when the OS was still fully supported with monthly updates, if at all.
None of my arguments apply to commercial or enterprise organizations, because they are much higher value targets, and their Network firewalls cannot ignore all incoming connection requests like the ones on your home network can, at least not if they want to continue doing business.
If I’ve missed any important points, please educate me because I’m always open to learning things I don’t already know.
Ernie
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I agree, and that’s why I include the use of Best Security Practices when on the Internet in my argument for using Windows 10 now that it’s at EOL/EOS, because the single most important security ‘feature’ any computer can have is a very skeptical and alert user on the other side of the keyboard, one who always verifies that the URL any hyperlink will take you to matches it’s label, not only on the Internet, but in email messages too, and one who questions everything because, as we all should know, we cannot trust strangers because we cannot know their intentions, and since everyone on the Internet IS a stranger, at least until we can confirm that they really are who we think they are, and everything we find on the Internet is produced by those strangers, so a very good and strong sense of skepticism is essential.
Ernie
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I don’t think that’s the biggest issue though. Hackers aren’t trying to break into your network. They’re trying to exploit a software vulnerability in your browser when you reach out to a legitimate website that shows a sketchy advertisement. That browser is not out of maintenance though and neither is your antivirus.
Even so, when the OS goes end of life or end of support, you should be more careful and start planning to move away from that OS. Windows, Mac, or Linux.
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I agree, but the reality is that a large portion of the current Windows 10 users who are using their computers at home, and haven’t yet upgraded to Windows 11, or some other supported OS probably won’t until something really bad happens, and all I was really trying to do was tell folks that if they’re going to continue to use Windows 10, you’ll have to take responsibility for keeping everything you’ve installed on your computer as up to date as possible, insure that you have a hardware firewall, configured to ignore all incoming connection requests, and that they judiciously keep their anti-malware suite updated, both the software platform and the definition database. If a user doesn’t want to put in all that effort, the only alternative options are to either install an actively supported GNU/Linux distribution, or purchase a newer Windows 11 system, so I don’t disagree with you, and all I’m trying to do is work out what can be done to mitigate the growing threat that Windows 10 will represent going forward.
Ernie
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Think that is true about EVERY version of windows not just 10 but 11 too.
My own thoughts about linux does not have as much of a issue but would still try to keep up to date on that
I know Windows 10 is not Windows 7, but still in 2023 there were vulnerabilities found in Windows that applies to Windows 7 aswell.
https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/product_id-17153/year-2023/opgpriv-1/Microsoft-Windows-7.html
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2023-21746/
I don’t see how it would be different for Windows 10 after some time it doesn’t get any more patches, but who knows?
I’m fine with Debian anyway 
I think NAT closes some gates, but only if a surely clean system sits inside. Anything malicious can have NAT traversal features.
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My 2 cents.
Of course there is a danger in continuing use of an unsupported OS. There is also a remaining danger in whatever you do, e.g., using a fully supported OS. So what?
I was using my Win7 approximately 3 or more years beyond its EOS, no problem. I was using a former LMDE version, I think it was 4 or 5, some months if not years beyond its propagated lifetime. And I don’t feel bad about this.
My advices:
- Use a hardware firewall; open only what you really need.
- Install a security-aware browser and stuff it with add-ons to block all ads and other junk.
- Continue using a strong AV suite, as long as they continue to deliver signatures, OK. Whenever they stop this, well, it’s probably time to completely leave.
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A security vulnerability could occur below the application layer. In that case, no matter what browser or software firewall you use, you’re toast when such a vulnerability is exploited.
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I have buried a dead chicken in the back yard and purchased the latest available tin foil hat. I also do not do email or surf the net with my 2 W10 virtual machines. I try to keep my 4 Debian systems up to date. My hardware firewall is decent and I use different static public IP’s for different applications. Like hosing websites. I am not paranoid, they really are out to get me.
Edit: I avoid port forwarding on my main IP’s.
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You think. I don’t know this? As a former OS and driver developer, I do.
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There are just so many problems and bus into windows not to mention bloatware why use it
Because of some masochistic need?
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Because it works!!!
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Yes, it does, and we have to accept this. And every piece of software might have bugs; bugs are not an invention by Windows. Peace!
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