February is the end
Chrome is over: Why Google’s browser won’t be secure soon on 200 million computers
Chrome will soon be unsafe on many devices
© Pheelings Media / Getty Images
Google Chrome is the most used browser in the world. Some users will have to look for an alternative soon.
The race for internet access hasn’t really been a race for years: Google Chrome browser is by far the most important, with nearly two-thirds of global internet access going through. There will likely be fewer in the near future: Google is removing support for two older versions of Windows.
With version 110, Google Chrome will no longer be available for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, the company announced last week. The browser will first ask the affected user to update the operating system. With the update to version 110 currently scheduled for February 7th, the browser will not receive any updates anymore.
Update Off
The fact that Google will eventually stop supporting two versions of Windows is not in itself surprising. Microsoft itself hasn’t offered updates for Windows 7 for two years, and starting in January, Windows 8.1 will also be on the list of retired legacy systems. In plain language, this means that systems no longer receive updates, even if there are known vulnerabilities, and it is no longer safe for users to use them.
However, it is still used all over the world – even though Microsoft released Windows 10 in 2015 and succeeded Windows 11 a year ago. However, for many users of corporate systems and large numbers of private users, it cannot be used due to company rules, inappropriate hardware, and other reasons. According to Statcounter, Windows 11 only surpassed Windows 7 users in July, approximately 15 percent of Windows users rely on Windows older than Windows 10. If you think that, according to Microsoft, about 1.4 billion people use Windows 10 and 11, about 200 million people are likely to be affected.
This literally means the end
The fact that Chrome no longer comes with updates does not automatically mean that it no longer works. However, it is clearly no longer recommended to use it. When accessing the network, the browser is the biggest target of attack, even on old operating systems, because vulnerabilities can be exploited simply by visiting websites. If the gaps remain instead of closing, then the probability of this happening increases significantly. After all, attackers can rest assured that their attacks will succeed in the long run.
Thus, the only really safe option is to switch to an operating system that is still supported. If this is not possible, you should at least use a secure browser. The popular Firefox is currently being updated for Windows 7 and Windows 8.
source:Google, Statcounter
