Despite Windows 7 End Of Support, These Antivirus Companies Will Still Offer Protection
Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7 on January 14th. The company has urged users to update to Windows 10 as soon as possible, but many are still clinging to Windows 7. Fortunately for die-hard Windows 7 fans, several antivirus companies and browser manufacturers will continue to offer support to Windows 7 users for a few years.
It is not unusual for antivirus companies and browser manufacturers to continue to pledge support for OS systems that have been phased out. Google recently announced that it will continue to offer Chrome security updates until at least 2021. McAfee stated that it will provide support to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 until December 31, 2021. They will also offer a few additional options that will last until December 23, 2023. Sophos will extend on-premise support until December 2020 and cloud-managed support until June 2021.
Even Microsoft is not completely jumping ship. Those who have the Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) antivirus software will receive signature updates. They did note that the platform itself will not be updated. Corporations that rely on Windows 7 can also purchase extended Windows 7 support.
Other companies have been less eager to provide an exact timeline. For example, Mozilla Firefox has not provided an official comment. Many theorize that Mozilla will continue to offer support for Windows 7 users because they also supported Windows XP long after Microsoft had abandoned it. Major antivirus companies like AVG Avast, Bitdefender, and Trend Micro have assured their users that they will offer security updates for at least another two years. You can check out a full list here.
Although these companies will provide uninterrupted support for their users for a few years, it is important to note that Windows 7 will no longer receive security updates, fixes, or technical support from Microsoft. All of the above companies encourage users to update to Windows 10. Microsoft has already begun to make their own position clear. They recently refused to provide a critical Internet Explorer security patch. The vulnerability allows an attacker to take control of a user’s system. Microsoft did fix one last bug that displayed a black background image instead of the user’s chosen image, but they have made it clear that they will be making few other exceptions. If you are interested in updating to Windows 10, you can check out our guide here.
It is not unusual for antivirus companies and browser manufacturers to continue to pledge support for OS systems that have been phased out. Google recently announced that it will continue to offer Chrome security updates until at least 2021. McAfee stated that it will provide support to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 until December 31, 2021. They will also offer a few additional options that will last until December 23, 2023. Sophos will extend on-premise support until December 2020 and cloud-managed support until June 2021.
Even Microsoft is not completely jumping ship. Those who have the Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) antivirus software will receive signature updates. They did note that the platform itself will not be updated. Corporations that rely on Windows 7 can also purchase extended Windows 7 support.
Other companies have been less eager to provide an exact timeline. For example, Mozilla Firefox has not provided an official comment. Many theorize that Mozilla will continue to offer support for Windows 7 users because they also supported Windows XP long after Microsoft had abandoned it. Major antivirus companies like AVG Avast, Bitdefender, and Trend Micro have assured their users that they will offer security updates for at least another two years. You can check out a full list here.
Although these companies will provide uninterrupted support for their users for a few years, it is important to note that Windows 7 will no longer receive security updates, fixes, or technical support from Microsoft. All of the above companies encourage users to update to Windows 10. Microsoft has already begun to make their own position clear. They recently refused to provide a critical Internet Explorer security patch. The vulnerability allows an attacker to take control of a user’s system. Microsoft did fix one last bug that displayed a black background image instead of the user’s chosen image, but they have made it clear that they will be making few other exceptions. If you are interested in updating to Windows 10, you can check out our guide here.
