Still Using Windows 10? Your PC Is Nearly 3x More at Risk Than on Windows 11

On October 14, 2025, Microsoft officially killed support for Windows 10. However, some who don’t want to make the transition still have to option to enroll themselves into ESU program to get the security updates until October 12, 2027. Yes, Microsoft has quietly extended the ESU support, and informed users via email. That said, there are some risks of not migrating to the latest OS. A new report has explained why that delay is becoming a much bigger problem.

Windows 10 still powers millions of PCs despite reaching end of support, and it could be a problem

The findings come from Lansweeper’s HVMND Collective Intelligence dataset, which analyzed millions of devices across thousands of organizations (via Neowin). Per the report, devices running Windows 10 now carry almost three times as many active vulnerabilities as systems running Microsoft’s latest operating system, creating a widening security gap with every Patch Tuesday.

According to the report, Windows 11 now accounts for 78.8% of Windows devices, while 16.9% continue running Windows 10. Migration accelerated before Microsoft’s October 14, 2025, end-of-support deadline but has slowed considerably since then. The remaining systems are often the hardest to replace because of legacy applications, aging hardware, or industry-specific equipment that cannot easily be upgraded.

Smaller businesses appear to be falling behind the most. Around 21.4% of Windows devices in SMB environments still run Windows 10, compared with 16.6% in enterprise organizations. Industries such as healthcare, retail, and manufacturing also continue to rely heavily on Windows 10 because many of their systems are tied to specialized hardware or certified software that isn’t easy to migrate.

The vulnerability gap keeps getting larger

The report found that the average Windows 10 device now carries 1,903 active CVEs, while the average Windows 11 system has 652. That puts Windows 10 at roughly 2.9 times the security risk of Windows 11. The problem extends beyond the number of vulnerabilities. About 66.6% of Windows 10’s active CVEs are rated high or critical, while 2.4% are already known to be exploited in real-world attacks.

Lansweeper says attackers can even analyze security patches released for Windows 11 and use them to identify the same flaws that remain permanently unpatched in Windows 10. All that said, not every Windows 10 computer can move to Windows 11.

Lansweeper estimates that 2.8% of Windows 10 devices don’t meet Windows 11’s hardware requirements. Those systems require complete hardware replacement instead of a software upgrade.