Nigeria warns citizens on use of Microsoft Windows 7

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has advised users of Microsoft Windows 7 to take steps to protect their data.

This was contained in a statement of Friday by Mukhtar Sadiq, his Technical Assistant.

It said with the official End of Support (EoS) of the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System (OS) which came into effect on 14th January 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide technical support and security or software updates for the platform.

“Systems running on Windows 7 OS will continue to work, however, they will be progressively more vulnerable to viruses and malware.

“In light of this, the Minister is alerting the general public on the risks of using Windows 7 powered devices for internet-based services that require the use of sensitive information such as internet banking.

“The best way to remain secure is to use the latest Operating Systems available”, the alert read.

The ministry called on all Windows 7 users to immediately implement some precautionary measures to protect themselves from breach of privacy and loss of critical data.

The measures include keeping security software up to date, keeping all other applications up to date and being more skeptical on downloads and emails accessed.

The minister assured that he will from time to time alert the general public on important events and measures to ensure that Nigerians feel safe online.