Windows 10 will receive 5 years of additional support through 0patch

0patch, a service that specializes in providing uninterrupted micro security patches, today announced that it plans to provide security patches for Windows 10 for at least five years after the operating system's release. officially discontinued, giving customers the opportunity to continue using their current devices without experiencing significant security impacts.

In fact, analysts predict that the end of Windows 10 will cause a wave of PC upgrades to meet the requirements of Windows 11. However, with the new move from 0patch, many people may be thinking. Think again about this issue, because the process of converting the operating system as well as upgrading the hardware for the entire system is clearly not simple and extremely expensive.

0patch has long been no longer a strange service in providing security updates for software products that have expired official support from the developer. Currently, 0patch is still providing regular patches for Windows 7 and Server 2008, Microsoft Office products, etc. Technically, 0patch is currently serving Windows 10 (6 discontinued versions to be exact) , but customers have the option to update to version 22H2 and receive free updates from Microsoft. After October 2025, that privilege will be stripped away when Microsoft officially kills Windows 10, and that is also the time when 0patch comes into play.

With 0patch, Windows 10 users will still receive fixes for critical security vulnerabilities discovered after October 14, 2025 (when Windows 10 received its last free update). These patches are essentially tiny, microscopic CPU instructions injected into processes running in the user's PC memory. Such an approach allows for quick and easy patching without the need to interfere with any of the original binaries or reboot. 0patch can also quickly undo changes if they cause problems.

Note that Windows 10 customers who are unwilling or unable to upgrade their system to Windows 11 after Windows 10 'end-of-life' will have two additional options: Enroll in the paid extended security program Extended Security Program - ESU (three years, for business and home users) from Microsoft, or do nothing and continue using an unsupported operating system.

Like Microsoft's extended security program, 0patch is not a free service. However, longer support periods and additional benefits are what users will enjoy, such as faster and less disruptive patching, fixes for vulnerabilities not yet covered by the manufacturer. processing, and even patches for non-Microsoft products.

0patch currently offers an annual subscription priced at EUR 24.95 per personal and small business computer. There is also an enterprise-level plan for medium and large organizations, priced at EUR 34.95 per device. Microsoft has not yet announced the price of the Extended Security Update program for home users. For reference, for commercial customers, the ESU program costs $61 per year per device.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 29 June 2024