Google Chrome: Millions of users warned about security risk following recent update

Google’s Chrome browser will stop receiving technical and security support next week if it is running on Windows 7. This means that many business employees could be affected in offices running older systems from January 10.

Google initially was due to stop support on July 15, 2021, but the dates were pushed back to January 15, 2022, and then to January 10, 2023, due to Covid-19.

Windows 10

Google Chrome Support Manager describes the software requirements, as per the Metro:

Chrome 109 is the last version of Chrome that will support Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. Chrome 110 (tentatively scheduled for release on February 7th, 2023) is the first version of Chrome that requires Windows 10 or later.

You’ll need to ensure your device is running Windows 10 or later to continue receiving future Chrome releases.

Though it’s hard to believe that many systems are still running Windows 7, it is actually still used by millions of PCs around the world. Recent statistics put the figure at 14% of global Windows devices still running Windows 7 in December 2021.

It is thought that many small businesses have delayed upgrading to Windows 10 due to the costs involved and so the move could end up impacting them more than others.

Security risks

Whilst Chrome will still continue to function, it will be lacking potentially key security updates with Google commenting:

Older versions of Chrome will continue to work, but there will be no further updates released for users on these operating systems. If you are currently on Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1, we encourage you to move to a supported Windows version to ensure you continue to receive the latest security updates and Chrome features.

Even simply using Windows 7 is now considered risky as Microsoft stopped supporting the operating system back in 2020 and without updates, your computer is vulnerable to viruses and hackers, with the company stating:

If you continue to use Windows 7 after support has ended, your PC will still work, but it will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses.

Back In November of 2020, Max Christoff, the engineering director at Google Chrome described how the plan to upgrade has been slow to get going, as per the Metro:

Migrating to Windows 10 was a part of many organizations’ roadmap for the year. But as new priorities for IT teams emerged, we’ve heard that 21% of organizations are still in the process of migrating to Windows 10.

Sources used:

-The Metro 'Google Chrome will stop working properly on millions of Windows PCs next week'