Windows 11 security push puts Microsoft on a collision course


When Microsoft debuted Windows 11 Late last week, the company announced the usual efficiency and design advancements that come with any new operating system. But Windows 11 also comes with a less welcome tick: tighter than usual hardware requirements that PCs can actually run it for. Due to what Microsoft has described as security concerns, many devices, even some currently on sale, will never be able to upgrade, leaving a generation of PCs stuck on Windows 10.

To run Windows 11, devices must have an Intel Core processor from at least 2017 or AMD Zen 2 processors from 2019. They will also need at least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. on hard drive. Microsoft’s $ 3,500 Surface Studio 2 desktop, which you can buy new from the company now, doesn’t meet these requirements. Microsoft is still exploring the possibility that slightly older chips will do the trick, but either way, you’ll need a fairly new device to upgrade your operating system.

“Microsoft has a clear vision of how to help protect our customers now and in the future and we know our approach works,” David Weston, Microsoft director of enterprise and operating systems security, wrote Friday. “We are announcing Windows 11 to increase baseline security levels with new hardware security requirements built in. “

This baseline appears to be based on a trusted platform module, or TPM 2.0 chip, a component required by Microsoft in all new Windows devices since 2016. But not all devices that contain a TPM 2.0 chip have it. actually activated, and the process of its activation is technical and involved when feasible at all. Microsoft or individual PC makers would likely need to offer free in-person support to enable most customers, both home and business, to enable latent TPM and other features like SecureBoot. Additionally, some current device models that you can buy today still don’t include TPM 2.0, simply because they were manufactured before the requirement went into effect.

By tying the availability of Windows 11 to this specific hardware feature, Microsoft can leave dozens of devices even more vulnerable in the long run. Those who can’t update to Windows 11 will still have Windows 10, but not forever. Microsoft plans to end support for its 2015 operating system, which is currently installed on 79% of Windows devices worldwide, according to the analysis site Statistics counter– October 14, 2025. This means that there will be no more security patches for the large population of devices that cannot upgrade to Windows 11.

While Microsoft can hope most people will have purchased a new Windows 11-compatible PC by then, the horror of the decade-long Windows XP migration is still fresh in the memory of the security community. Security vulnerabilities discovered in XP after Microsoft stopped supporting it, it created gaping holes for the millions of devices that have never been upgraded to Windows 7 or beyond. In fact, StatCounter shows that a full 20 years since its initial release, and after numerous industry-wide upgrade efforts, more than half a percent of Windows devices again start XP.

“The first major vulnerability after Windows 10 dies will cause chaos and put customers in a difficult position,” said Marcin Kleczynski, CEO of anti-virus company Malwarebytes. “Microsoft has a responsibility to protect its customers. If half are still on Windows 10, will they let them dry? “

Microsoft declined to comment on the case to WIRED on its vision for the transition or on Windows 10’s potential to become a time bomb. In one blog post On Tuesday, the company admitted to being confused and concerned about which devices are eligible for the upgrade.

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