According to the Kaspersky’s statistics over half of general users and nearly 60% of corporate users currently use Windows 10 OS. Only 33% of the audience have already upgraded their devices to the latest OS version—Windows 11.
As the support for Windows 10 is set to be suspended in October 2025, Kaspersky has conducted a study based on anonymized OS metadata provided by consenting Kaspersky Security Network users to find out how many devices worldwide are still running Windows 10 OS.
Once an operating system reaches its end-of-life, unresolved security vulnerabilities remain unpatched, meaning cybercriminals can gain potential opportunities to exploit them. Therefore, it is highly recommended to update your OS system to safeguard your personal or business network risk.
The research showed that despite there only being a month left before the end of support from Microsoft, more than half of all users (53%) currently utilize Windows 10 OS. Furthermore, 8.5% of deviсes continue to operate on the outdated Windows 7 OS version, which reached the end of its support back in 2020. According to Kaspersky Security Network, only 33% of users have already switched to Windows 11, the latest version of Windows OS, which indicates a high level of commitment to older OS versions.
Among business audiences, the popularity of Windows 10 is even higher. 59.5% of corporate devices are running Windows 10, whereas in small business this figure is slightly lower at 51%. The share of Windows 7 OS users in both categories is slightly more than 6%. Kaspersky experts warn that using outdated OS versions in corporate infrastructures brings significant risk for businesses, since outdated operating systems not only become more vulnerable to exploits, but may also become incompatible with newer software and security tools. This incompatibility can pose a severe threat for business continuity.
“Migrating to a newer OS may be misguidedly perceived as an unnecessary and even disruptive action offering only minor new features, while complicating existing workflows because of interface changes. However, from a cybersecurity point of view, a system which is not receiving security updates is like a house with a rotting fence which can be knocked down with just a single kick. The risk for both general and corporate business users far outweighs any minor inconveniences of moving to a new OS version. For corporate IT and IT security departments, keeping business-critical software – starting with the OS – up to date is the priority task. Timely updates are essential to mitigate security risks and prevent costly data breaches as well as financial and reputational damage. It must not be neglected, even if you have a reliable security solution in place”, comments Oleg Gorobets, Security Expert at Kaspersky.
To enhance personal and business security in the realm of operating systems, Kaspersky recommends:
· Ensuring you are using the latest version of the OS and verifying that the automatic update feature is enabled.
· For general customers and small business using solutions with exploit prevention technologies, such as Kaspersky Premium and Kaspersky Small Office Security, which help to reduce the risk of exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities that can be found in an obsolete OS (from October 2025 Windows 10 and earlier).
· For corporate business customers implementing a process for testing security updates prior to their company-wide deployment, which allows to mitigate the risk of disruptions caused by faulty patches or incompatibilities, considering using comprehensive security solutions, such as Kaspersky Next .
