At 78%, clearly the most popular operating systems globally are Windows 10 and Windows 11, followed by some 10% of users running Mac OS X. The scary thing is that in third place with a market share of almost 6%, you will find Windows 7.
The “Statista” statistics company has published figures for all operating systems run all over the world. One thing immediately catching the eye is the fact that Windows 7 is the most popular unsafe operating system by a wide margin.
Support for Windows 7 ceased early in 2020. Microsoft has not been providing any more security updates to protect users against viruses, worms, spyware or other malware since then. You should definitely no longer use Windows 7 at all!
Please note the following security tips:
- Update Windows: Despite having to become accustomed with a new system, you should only use up-to-date OS such as Windows 10, Windows 11 or the latest Mac OS X. Obsolete versions such as Windows 7 pose a potential risk and are considered ticking time bombs.
- Install updates: You should not just update your operating system, but all firmware and general software installed regularly. Such updates should be installed as soon as they become available. One helpful tip is to always activate automatic updates.
- Use security software: It is vital to use the latest security software. This should not just monitor e-mails and websites, but also removable media such as USB sticks plus your network and main memory for malware.
Another reminder on Windows 10 we would like to mention here: Support for Windows 10 will cease on 14th October 2025. The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10, and all editions will be supported by security updates until the above date. From then onwards, you should no longer use Windows 10 either though.
Further security tips can be found in our “5 steps for your digital security“.
“Statista” statistics can be found here.
