The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Pantami has warned Nigerians to desist from the use of Windows 7 powered devices for any form of Internet-based services that will require the transmission of sensitive data.
The warning became necessary owing to the official End of Support (EoS) of the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System (OS) which came into effect on 14th January 2020.
Microsoft, owner of Windows 7 has announced that it will no longer provide technical support and security or software updates for the platform, explaining that systems running on Windows 7 OS will continue to work, however, they will be progressively more vulnerable to viruses and malware.
“In light of this, we are alerting the general public on the risks of using Windows 7 powered devices for internet-based services that require the use of sensitive information such as internet banking. The best way to remain secure is to use the latest Operating Systems available,” Pantami said in a statement signed by Mukhtar M. Sadiq, Technical Assistant (Government Digital Services & Innovation) to the Minister of Communications & Digital Economy.
The Minister thus advised all Windows 7 users in Nigeria to immediately implement some precautionary measures to help to protect themselves from breach of privacy and loss of critical data.
Some of the measures, according to the statement are keeping security software up to date; keeping all other applications up to date and being more skeptical on downloads and emails accessed.