RUN WINDOWS 10 SAFELY (even if you’re online!)
Determined to stick with Windows 10, despite support ending last month? Jonathan Parkyn explains what you must do to keep using it safely
So, the dust has settled, the world hasn’t ended, and you’ve decided to stick with Windows 10. You’re not alone – millions of people worldwide are saying “no thanks” to Windows 11 and carrying on with its predecessor. We understand the temptation. Maybe your current PC isn’t compatible with Windows 11 but still runs fine. Or perhaps you don’t fancy paying for expensive new hardware or wrestling with Microsoft’s latest changes. Whatever your reasons, if you stick with Windows 10, you’ll need to be a lot more careful than before, especially if you use it online. Without regular security updates, every week that passes increases your exposure to new malware threats. You’ll need to take extra precautions, add further layers of protection and rethink how you connect to the web.
1 Stop using Microsoft Defender
In our experience, Microsoft’s built-in Defender isn’t always as proactive as many third-party antivirus tools, often failing to detect threats on connected USB sticks, for instance. Now that Windows 10 security updates have stopped, it’s even less reliable.
Defender relies on Microsoft’s cloud threat-intelligence network and Windows Update to spot new malware. This system collects data from Windows devices worldwide, analyses it online and updates Defender to help it recognise threats. With Windows 10 no longer supported, these updates are winding down, so Defender’s ability to respond quickly to new attacks will fall behind third-party antivirus tools that update independently.