Any Version of Internet Explorer Prior to 11 Can’t Be Trusted

We often talk about how important it is that your business use the most recent and up-to-date versions of your software solutions, but it’s not often that we get to say that people using Internet Explorer 11 have the right idea. As it turns out, nearly a quarter of all Windows PCs are still using unsupported versions of Internet Explorer, with half of them being found on computers still running Windows XP. What has this world come to?

Researchers at Duo Security came to this conclusion following an analysis of over two million devices. In particular, those who were using Windows XP were likely to be running older versions of Internet Explorer, and were most susceptible to hacking attacks and infections from viruses and malware. This past January, Microsoft stopped supporting all versions of Internet Explorer that aren’t the current version (Internet Explorer 11), which means that there are plenty of active web browsers that are vulnerable. Among those included are Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9, and 10. In fact, half of the PCs running Windows XP are still running Internet Explorer 7 and 8.

Duo Security also found that 72 percent of versions of Java and 60 percent of versions of Flash are out of date on user devices, both of which are huge statistics that speak volumes about how end-users handle their technology. It’s an accident just waiting to happen, especially in conjunction with outdated web browsers and operating systems. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your technology is in proper working order, and that your workstations aren’t putting your company at risk.

Keeping your business’s mission-critical technology up to date with the latest security patches and updates is a crucial part of managing your IT infrastructure. Considering the fact that all it takes is a single workstation that’s out of date to put your business at risk, you shouldn’t be willing to compromise your organization’s security just to keep using the same old technology. Therefore, you need to take proactive measures to upgrade your technology before it reaches its end of support date.

Upgrading your technology can be a challenge, but with k_Street Consulting, LLC by your side, it’s much easier. We can thoroughly assess your organization’s specific needs, and consult you on how best to move forward with your chosen technology upgrade. The last thing that you want is to go forward with an upgrade and find that you no longer have access to your mission-critical legacy applications.

Or, if you’re simply having trouble keeping up with your technology’s patches and security updates, we have a solution for that too. k_Street Consulting, LLC can remotely monitor and distribute patches and security updates for all of your software solutions, including your operating systems! You’ll never have to worry about running unsupported software again, and your infrastructure can maintain maximum security at all times.

To learn more, reach out to k_Street Consulting, LLC at (202) 640-2737.