As Windows 10 market share rises, a new warning reveals the security dangers ahead.
There are two popular definitions of the word oblivion: the state of being disregarded or forgotten and the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening. Both apply to the coming Windows security fiasco highlighted by a rise in the market share of Windows 10 and new warnings from security professionals about cyberattacks, data loss, espionage and ransomware. Here’s what you need to know and what you need to do sooner rather than later to protect yourself.
Windows 10 Is Taking Market Share From Windows 11—And That’s A Huge Security Red Flag
Recent reports analyzing the latest desktop Windows version worldwide market share statistics, have revealed a very worrying trend indeed. The highly secure Windows 11 operating system is losing market share to, by definition, the less secure Windows 10 operating system. The less secure label will soon take on a whole new vibe as it transitions into not secure at all, which we will look at in a moment, But first, those market share numbers.
In Oct. 2024, Windows 11 had a market share of 35.58% of all Windows users; by Dec. 2024, that had dropped to 34.12%. “In that same period,” Dave Parrack said in a new analysis at Make Use Of, “Windows 10 rose from 60.95 percent in October to 62.7 percent in December.”
Why is this important from a security perspective? Because come Oct. 14, Microsoft will declare Windows 10 as having reached end-of-support. That means unless millions of Windows 10 users opt to upgrade to Windows 11 or pay for extended security support, they could be facing an unprotected future.
Windows 10 Users Face Security Fiasco Within Months, Expert Warns
Microsoft has announced that support for Windows 10 will end soon and that “after 14 October 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10.” While your Windows 10 computer will continue to work just fine and dandy, the same cannot be said about the protection offered to you and your data. Indeed, Microsoft recommended moving to Windows 1 as it is “designed to meet current demands for heightened security.”
In a new warning, published Jan. 2, Thorsten Urbanski, a director of marketing and communication at security vendor ESET, made it quite clear how much of an impact this could have on Windows 10 users who don’t make that move. “It’s five minutes to twelve to avoid a security fiasco for 2025,” Urbanski said, “We strongly advise all users not to wait until October, but to switch to Windows 11 immediately or choose an alternative operating system if their device cannot be updated to the latest Windows operating system.”
I have approached Microsoft for a statement, but in the meantime, I strongly advise all Windows 10 users to visit Microsoft’s Windows 10 support transition guidance in order to best prepare for the end-of-support status that is coming sooner than it probably feels like right now.