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Windows 10 Carries 3x the Security Risk of Windows 11
A Lansweeper study says Windows 10 PCs average 1,903 active vulnerabilities versus 652 on Windows 11, as 19.28% of US PCs still run the older OS.
Image: PCWorld
A new Lansweeper study puts a stark number on the gap between Microsoft’s two latest desktop operating systems: PCs running Windows 10 average 1,903 active security vulnerabilities, compared with 652 on Windows 11. That leaves Windows 10 with roughly three times the security exposure, according to the report cited by Neowin.
The timing matters. In the US, 19.28% of all Windows PCs were still running Windows 10 as of June 2026, according to Statcounter. Security experts had already warned in January 2025 not to wait too long to move to Windows 11, and the risks have grown over the 18 months since then.
Microsoft no longer delivers regular updates for Windows 10. Instead, the operating system now gets only security patches through the Extended Security Updates program, which was recently extended by another year. Users who stay on Windows 10 should at minimum enroll in the free ESU program, which provides access to the latest security updates until October 12th, 2027.
Not everyone sees Windows 11 as an easy upgrade. Data privacy experts have advised against switching and recommended staying on Windows 10 for as long as possible. The article notes that this guidance is aimed mainly at businesses and organizations, but also applies to home users.
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For users with the option to upgrade, the Lansweeper numbers make the tradeoff hard to ignore: Windows 11 now appears to be the safer platform by a wide margin.
Security Editor
Sophia unpacks the invisible wars happening on our networks. Covering cybersecurity, privacy legislation, and cryptography, she exposes how our data is weaponized and defended. Before joining for(geeks), she spent years as a penetration tester. She's the reason the rest of the team uses physical security keys.
via PCWorld
