New hack could keep Windows 7 alive for years
A newly-developed tool could allow Windows 7 users to receive essential updates years after official support is ended, Softpedia News reports.
Microsoft’s operating system will reach the end of its support lifecycle on 14 January 2020, which effectively cuts Windows 7 users off from critical security updates and other patches.
The company has recommended that users update to Windows 10 to ensure that they are not left open to hacking and other forms of cyber attack.
Microsoft has said, however, that it will be providing paid Windows 7 support for a number of years through its Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme.
The company called this “a last-resort option” for customers who use systems that require legacy support for Windows 7.
Test update hack
To provide customers with ESU support, Microsoft has released a Windows 7 test update that checks if a device is eligible for the programme.
MyDigitalLife users have created a tool which circumvents this process, letting any Windows 7 device receive these updates, which would normally only be available to paying users.
The developers said that the hack enables the download of the verification update irrespective of a device’s operating system version.
The report stated that Microsoft is expected to block the bypass, but added that there is a “good chance” that an updated hack would follow.
Now read: Windows 10 can now run on smartphones
Loading ...