The security push of Windows 11 puts Microsoft in conflict

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When Microsoft debuted Windows 11 Last weekend, the company heralded the usual improvements in efficiency and design for any new operating system. But Windows 11 also has an unpopular tick: the hardware requirements for a PC to actually run it are stricter than usual. Due to the security issues that Microsoft said, many devices — even some currently on sale — will never be upgraded, leaving a generation of PCs stranded on Windows 10.
To run Windows 11, the device must be equipped with at least an Intel Core processor from 2017 or an AMD Zen 2 processor from 2019. They also need at least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of hard drive storage space. Microsoft’s own Surface Studio 2 desktop computer, which sells for $3,500, you can now buy a new one from the company, and it does not meet the requirements under these requirements. Microsoft is still exploring whether the slightly older chips will be obsolete, but either way, you will need a fairly new device to upgrade your operating system.
“Microsoft has a clear vision of how to help protect our customers now and in the future, and we know our approach works,” said David Weston, Microsoft Director of Enterprise and Operating System Security, wrote on Friday. “We announced that Windows 11 will improve the security baseline with new hardware security requirements built in.”
The baseline seems to depend on the Trusted Platform Module or TPM 2.0 chip, which is a component that Microsoft has required in all new Windows devices since 2016. But not all devices that contain a TPM 2.0 chip actually have it enabled, and the process of activating it is technical and participate when feasible. Microsoft or personal PC manufacturers may need to provide free face-to-face assistance to enable most customers (individuals and businesses) to enable potential TPM and other features (such as SecureBoot). In addition, some current device models that you can buy today still do not include TPM 2.0 because they were manufactured before the requirements were implemented.
By linking the availability of Windows 11 to this specific hardware feature, in the long run, Microsoft may make a large number of devices more vulnerable to attacks. Those who cannot update to Windows 11 will still have Windows 10, but not forever.According to the analysis website, Microsoft plans to end support for its 2015 operating system-currently 79% of Windows devices worldwide have this operating system installed State counter— October 14, 2025. This will mean that no more security patches can be provided for a large number of devices that cannot transition to Windows 11.
Although Microsoft may hope that most people have bought a new PC that supports Windows 11 by then, the horror of the 10-year Windows XP migration is still fresh in the memory of the security community. Security vulnerabilities discovered in XP After Microsoft stopped supporting it, it created a huge vulnerability for millions of devices that had never been upgraded to Windows 7 or later.In fact, StatCounter shows that for 20 years since its initial release, after countless industry-wide upgrade efforts, more than half of Windows devices still Run XP.
Marcin Kleczynski, CEO of Malwarebytes, an antivirus company, said: “The first major loophole after Windows 10 is discontinued will cause chaos and put customers into trouble.” “Microsoft has a responsibility to protect their customers. If half of them are still using Windows 10, Will they dry them?”
Microsoft declined to comment to Wired on its vision for the transition or the potential of Windows 10 to become a time bomb.in a Blog post On Tuesday, the company admitted to being confused and worried about which equipment is eligible for upgrades.
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