End to Windows 10 updates leaves millions in a bind

Microsoft's plan to halt updates for its Windows 10 operating system in mid-October has raised hackles among campaign groups and left some users worried they must buy new computers to be safe from cyber-attacks.

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Computers running Microsoft’s 2015-vintage Windows 10 will receive no further updates from the American tech giant from October 14.

Here is what you need to know about the planned end of support for the software:

Computers running Microsoft's 2015-vintage Windows 10 will receive no further updates from the American tech giant from October 14. Such downloads were used to "regularly patch (update) the operating system because it had become the target of many cyberattacks", said Martin Kraemer, a computer security expert with American firm KnowBe4.

Microsoft has urged its customers to upgrade to the latest version of its operating system: Windows 11, released in 2021.

But the company is also offering a $30 one-year extension of Windows 10 security updates for users whose computer hardware is not compatible with the new operating system.