微软终止支持Win7

Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7 from last Tuesday so that it can focus on “newer technologies.”

As a result, Windows 7 users will no longer receive the all-important security updates and patches that keep their machines safe.

It means that Microsoft is ending the cat-and-mouse game with hackers seeking to exploit software bugs in the Windows 7 operating system.

If perpetrators find a flaw in Windows 7, Microsoft will not fix it. Without continued software and security updates, Windows 7 machines are more likely to be infected with viruses and malware, Microsoft wrote on its website.

“Running an unpatched machine means that the flaws in the code will never be fixed and as exploits for those flaws become known and widespread, your chances of being successfully attacked grow very rapidly,” said Rik Ferguson, vice president of security research at Trend Micro.

David Emm, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, added that people need to move to a supported operating system as soon as possible.

Computers running Windows 7 can still function after last Tuesday but they become less and less secure.

Microsoft is urging people to move to Windows 10, a newer operating system that it sells for US$156.

“Going forward, the best way for you to stay secure is on Windows 10,” it said. “And the best way to experience Windows 10 is on a new PC.”

It is possible to install Windows 10 on old PCs but Microsoft warns that it may not run smoothly.

In order to run Windows 10, PCs must have a 1GHz processor, 16GB of hard drive space and 1GB of RAM memory.

“While it is possible to install Windows 10 on your older device, it is not recommended,” Microsoft said.

Some companies rely heavily on applications that only work with Windows 7.

Businesses can pay Microsoft if they want to continue getting updates for Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Enterprise.

The Windows 7 Extended Security Updates will be available until 2023 for businesses of all sizes.

Charges range from US$25 per device to US $200 per device and increase each year. The costs will mount quickly for organizations with lots of computers.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【肇事者】zhàoshìzhě

perpetrator a person who carries out a harmful, illegal or immoral act

【恶意软件】 èyì ruǎnjiàn

malware software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage or gain unauthorized access to a computer system

微软将从上周二开始停止支持Windows 7，专注于“新技术”。

因此，Windows 7用户将不再收到至关重要的用以确保计算机安全运行的安全更新和补丁。

黑客们一直试图利用Windows 7操作系统中的软件漏洞用来攻击电脑，这意味着微软将结束与黑客之间这场猫鼠游戏。

如果侵入者发现了Windows 7的一个漏洞，微软不会再对其进行修复。

微软在其官网写道，如果没有持续的软件和安全更新，安装Windows 7操作系统的电脑更有可能感染病毒或被植入恶意软件。

趋势科技负责安全研究的副总裁里克•弗格森说：“运行一台未打补丁的电脑意味着，代码中的漏洞将永远无法修复。随着利用这些漏洞的行为变得众所周知并广为传播，电脑遭到攻击的几率将迅速上升。”

卡巴斯基实验室的高级安全研究员戴维•埃姆补充说，人们需要尽快改装受支持的操作系统。

上周二之后，使用Windows 7的电脑仍将正常运行，但安全性将越来越差。

微软敦促人们改用Windows 10，这是一款更新的操作系统，售价156美元。

微软称：“今后，让电脑安全的最佳方式是安装Windows 10。体验Windows 10最好的方式是换一台新电脑。”

用户可以在旧电脑上安装Windows 10，但微软警告说，它可能运行得不顺畅。

要运行Windows 10，个人电脑必须拥有1GHz

处理器、16GB硬盘空间和1GB内存。

微软表示：“虽然可以在旧电脑上安装Windows 10，但不建议这么做。”

一些公司严重依赖只能在Windows 7上运行的应用程序。

如果企业想继续升级Windows 7专业版或Windows 7企业版，可以向微软付费。

所有企业都可以使用Windows 7扩展安全更新到2023年。

每台电脑的收费从25美元到200美元不等，并逐年增加。对于拥有大量电脑的机构来说，成本将迅速上升。

(chinadaily.com.cn)