Unified Technology Solutions

Windows 10 hit end of life on October 14, 2025. Microsoft stopped sending free security updates that day.

Every new vulnerability discovered since then sits unpatched on every Windows 10 machine that isn't enrolled in Microsoft's paid Extended Security Updates program. The list grows every month. Attackers know exactly which versions of Windows have which holes, and they go after the easiest ones first.

If you still have Windows 10 machines in your business, you have three options.

Upgrade to Windows 11. Most computers made in the last 4 to 5 years can run it. The upgrade itself is free if your license is genuine. The main cost is the time to plan it. For most businesses this is the right answer.

Pay for Extended Security Updates. Microsoft sells ESU to businesses at $61 per device for year one. That price doubles in year two and again in year three. ESU keeps the patches coming, but the vulnerability count keeps climbing and you pay more each year to stay current.

Replace the hardware. If a computer can't run Windows 11, it's old enough that it was due for replacement anyway. The longer you wait, the more it costs you in lost productivity.

The one option that isn't on the list is keeping Windows 10 and hoping nothing happens.

"We're too small to be a target" is the most expensive belief in small business security today.

The math behind modern attacks runs the opposite direction. Attackers don't sit at desks picking targets one by one. They run automated scans that hit millions of IP addresses every day looking for known vulnerabilities. Once a scan finds an open port, an unpatched server, or a leaked password that still works, the attacker rolls in. They don't know or care how big your business is until they're already inside.

Industry data is consistent here. The Verizon DBIR, FBI IC3 reports, and Sophos State of Ransomware all show small and medium businesses make up the majority of confirmed cybercrime victims year after year. The volume keeps climbing.

The reason is simple. You hold most of the same data the big ones do (customer records, payment info, employee information), and you have fewer people watching for attacks. That makes your business faster to compromise and easier to monetize. Attackers don't need a billion-dollar prize. They need a quick, simple win, and your business qualifies.

If you've ever skipped a security investment because your business felt too small to matter, the math says otherwise.

Microsoft's phishing report for the first quarter of 2026 shows how much phishing has changed in the past year.

In three months:

-8.3 billion phishing threats detected
-QR code phishing up 146% from last year, with a 336% spike in March 2026 alone for QR codes hidden inside emails
-Phishing pages hiding behind CAPTCHA puzzles jumped 125%. CAPTCHAs make the pages look real AND stop security scanners from checking them.
-10.7 million business email compromise attempts in one quarter

Hackers moved from text to images, codes, and CAPTCHAs because text-based filters can't read them. Even an expensive email gateway misses most of this.

If your phishing training still shows examples of misspelled emails from "Nigerian princes," you're teaching your team history, not security.

What to do this month:

-Update your phishing training. If it doesn't include QR code emails and fake CAPTCHA login pages, you're testing 2023 skills against 2026 attacks.
-Tell your team one rule: any QR code that arrives in an email is suspicious. No exceptions.
-Ask your email security vendor what they catch for image and QR phishing. Get the answer in writing.

Train your team for the phishing they'll actually see this year.

QR code phishing surges 146% as Microsoft detects and analyzes 8.3 billion phishing threats in Q1 2026 – attackers are changing tactics to bypass security Microsoft noted a marked increase in QR-code attacks and CAPTCHA delivery methods.