Windows 10: nearly three times as many vulnerabilities per device as Windows 11

Windows 10: nearly three times as many vulnerabilities per device as Windows 11

According to Lansweeper, Windows 10 is still running on 16.9% of corporate Windows devices, despite the end of regular support — roughly one in six.

The problem is particularly acute among small and midsize businesses: Windows 10 is still used on 21.4% of devices, compared with 16.6% at large organizations. The share also remains high in sectors that widely use equipment designed for long-term operation: 23% in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, 22.7% in retail and the consumer sector, and 18% in manufacturing.

Researchers found that each Windows 10 device has, on average:

• 1,903 vulnerabilities versus 652 on an average Windows 11 device; • 66.6% of vulnerabilities from the total above with a high or critical severity rating; • 2.4% of vulnerabilities from the total above with confirmed exploitation by attackers (1.7 times the figure for Windows 11).

At the same time, 2.8% of the remaining Windows 10 devices cannot be upgraded because their hardware does not meet Windows 11 requirements. The previously mentioned sectors have especially high numbers of outdated devices.

For every Windows 10 device, organizations should determine its next step in the near term: upgrade to Windows 11, use extended support temporarily through 2027, or replace the hardware. Systems that cannot be decommissioned quickly should be treated as elevated risks and protected with compensating controls — network segmentation, access restrictions, enhanced monitoring, and application execution controls.