In today’s ever-changing technology and security threat landscape, it’s critically important to ensure that the operating systems (OS) and applications that your organization is using are supported by the corresponding vendors. Unsupported software presents significant risks to organizations, including security vulnerabilities, compliance issues, and productivity concerns. Supported software, on the other hand, receives regular security and functionality updates, third-party application support, and usually some level of technical support.
Why should you avoid using unsupported systems?
- Security risk: One of the most significant risks of using unsupported systems is related to security. Applications or operating systems that are out of support won’t receive security updates that address newly discovered vulnerabilities, leaving them open to exploitation by cybercriminals. As time goes on, these exposures increase, potentially impacting other systems within your organization’s network. Hackers can use exploit kits that target these vulnerabilities to compromise networks, steal data, or deploy ransomware.
- Compliance risk: Industries that focus on privacy and security often have regulatory requirements that mandate the use of only supported software. From a cyber insurance perspective, supported operating systems, with regular security patching, are often a requirement that can impact the cost of insurance or in some cases the ability to procure it at all.
- Decline in Productivity and Efficiency: System issues may cause extended downtime as no technical support is available, leading to data loss and negatively affecting operations. Third-party applications installed on unsupported operating systems may become unsupported. Many vendors of these applications only test or release updates for supported operating systems. Over time, these applications will run less effectively or not at all.
How can you minimize risks and protect your organization?
Our security experts recommend starting by having a plan in place to upgrade or migrate systems to supported operating systems or applications. If upgrading is not feasible, consider implementing mitigations such as segmenting networks and applying stricter access controls, utilizing separate passwords for unsupported systems, and adding additional security monitoring for these systems. To simplify this process, we have compiled a list of recent and upcoming end-of-support dates for popular supported software. By keeping track of these dates, you can ensure your organization is using the latest supported versions of software and limiting operational impact.
Safeguard your business!
Take the first step towards protecting your organization by identifying any unsupported systems in your environment and creating a plan to upgrade or migrate to a supported OS or application. Don’t wait until it’s too late – start prioritizing software support today.
If you need help identifying unsupported systems, creating a plan for software support, or implementing any of the recommended mitigations, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of security experts at IT Weapons.
