A company is still using several computers running an operating system that has reached its end-of-life (EOL). A security audit has flagged these systems as a significant risk. What is the PRIMARY reason for this assessment?
The OS will no longer receive security patches, making it vulnerable to new threats.
The performance of the OS will be significantly degraded.
The OS will automatically shut down after the EOL date.
New applications will refuse to install on an EOL OS.
The primary security risk of using an end-of-life (EOL) operating system is the cessation of security patches and updates from the vendor. This leaves the system exposed to any newly discovered vulnerabilities, which threat actors can exploit. While performance may degrade and new applications might not be compatible, these are not the primary security concerns. An OS will not automatically shut down after its EOL date; it will continue to function, but without support.
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What does EOL mean in terms of operating systems?
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