MILLIONS have been warned 16 hugely common apps will be rendered dangerous in a matter of hours.
Microsoft is pulling support for a bunch of older software next week – a standard practice by tech giants.
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The headline departure is the end of the Windows 10 operating system.
But few realise that the company’s major software suite is due a big change too.
Microsoft Office is the go-to collection of apps, including every day names like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
But two older versions will no longer be supported by Microsoft from October 14.
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Loss of support is a big danger for people who continue to use the apps as it means techies at the firm have stopped issuing security updates for any serious bugs that come to light.
These bugs are open to being exploited by hackers, who could use it as an opportunity to raid your documents and possibly further into bank accounts if they can gain control of your machine.
So, it’s important to stop using unsupported software and upgrade.
“Continuing to use software after end of support can leave your devices vulnerable to potential security threats, productivity losses, and compliance issues,” Microsoft’s director of product marketing for the Microsoft 365, Jeremy Carlson, recently warned.
“Now is the time to move all remaining devices running Office 2016 or Office 2019 to a supported version.”
The two packages that face the chop are Office 2016 and Office 2019.
Between them, there are 16 programmes, including:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- OneNote
- Outlook
- Publisher
- Access
- Skype for Business
WHY DOES SOFTWARE STOP WORKING?
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
Keeping software and apps safe requires experts to keep things out of reach of hackers.
And it’s no cheap business to operate.
Naturally, people move on, leaving older apps behind in the process.
There comes a point where it’s no longer viable to continue offering updates, so companies stop supporting them.
This won’t necessarily stop them from working but makes them risk.
So it’s always best to upgrade.
Image credit: Getty
