
14, but thousands of hospitals, schools, and government offices still use the operating system for a variety of reasons.

Microsoft announced the end of life for Windows 7 on Jan. With fewer customers able to maintain a patched Windows 7 system after its end of life, cybercriminals will continue to view Windows 7 as a soft target," the FBI notice said. "As time passes, Windows 7 becomes more vulnerable to exploitation due to lack of security updates and new vulnerabilities discovered. SEE: Access management policy (TechRepublic Premium) The private industry notification, first covered by ZDNet, said the FBI "has observed cyber criminals targeting computer network infrastructure after an operating system achieves end-of-life status," and added that "continuing to use Windows 7 within an enterprise may provide cyber criminals access into computer systems." Security experts detailed a litany of concerns following an announcement on Monday from the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the official end of life for Windows 7.

