Abandoned by Microsoft: How the End of Windows 10 Puts Immigrants at Risk

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October 14, 2025, marked the death of Windows 10. Microsoft ended ongoing support for the operating system, citing a need for consumers to “modernize” by upgrading to the latest Windows 11 OS. Windows 10 is hardly the first software to lose support, but its abandonment is unique because, unlike 10, Windows 11 is not retro-compatible due to its strict hardware requirements—rendering it incompatible with 43% of computers running

Windows. This decision by Microsoft doesn’t simply end a piece of software, it exposes the widening gap of digital marginalization, leaving millions of devices behind by making access to safe, functional technology increasingly dependent on an individual’s ability to

pay for it. Digital marginalization refers to both the divide between those who have technology and those who do not, and between those who can afford to maintain and secure it and those who cannot. When Microsoft determines that older devices no longer deserve protection, they don’t only leave 400 million devices behind; they leave the people who rely on them without the critical security updates that keep those devices safe. Many of whom cannot access or afford newer computers.

Of particular vulnerability from this surge of obsolescence are migrant populations. Immigrants utilize technology daily and across all stages of their migration journey. From organizing pre-departure paperwork, managing finances, and storing important documentation, to keeping in touch with family abroad. Without regular security updates, migrants with Windows will be increasingly at risk of data breaches, ransomware, phishing, and fraud as unpatched holes in the software are exploited. A hijacked device can be detrimental, cutting individuals off from essential services and critical accounts like email, bank accounts, and immigration portals. It carries a surveillance risk for people on the move and undocumented migrants if devices are unknowingly tracked, and increases the possibility of exploitation and blackmail, especially if they lack legal protections. Even on the most basic levels, data breaches violate privacy and expose personal information, and undermining dignity and safety.

If the argument then becomes that most immigrants, especially those on the move, are more likely to use a phone than a Windows device, then I would like to point your attention to the immigration infrastructure itself. Immigration lawyers, a group that has already been targeted by phishing scams and malware, will be forced into costly technology upgrades to maintain client security. Similarly, NGOs, who already operate on limited budgets, might not have the capacity for upgrades, but they store considerable amounts of sensitive information are at risk.

Governments especially have been rocked by an increase in cyber attacks post COVID. A group targeting the UK immigration services caused months’ worth of delays in visa processing for Ukrainian Refugees in 2022. Costa Rica underwent a similar attack, crippling the governments social security functions. More recently, a ransomware breach in Indonesia brought down the country’s passport verification systems for multiple days.

One of the risk increases with the end of Window 10 support is that it only takes one vulnerable computer within a network to bring a system down. For example, a prominent UK based immigration company was overtaken by ransomware planted on a susceptible device from which hackers threatened to leak sensitive data. They went as far as to email immigrant clients individually about the threat to put pressure on the company to pay.

Luckily, for large companies and government organizations, there is support and tools to defend against attacks like this. But for individual immigrants who fall victim, it can make a vulnerable situation worse. While Microsoft is temporarily extending security patches, they are doing so for a fee. For those that do not want to, or are unable to pay the fee, the company’s official recommendation is to purchase a new device compatible with the latest version of Windows 11.

This move by Microsoft highlights a deeper issue: digital marginalization. As much as immigrants have utilized technology to their advantage, there exists a digital divide beyond simple who does and does not have a device. It’s a disparity of those who can afford, maintain, and safely use it. It affects access to information, language accessibility, trust in digital systems, and participation in digital society. The end of Windows 10 support is corporate policy that threatens to exacerbate this divide by stratifying individuals along economic lines of those who can afford to upgrade to a new device, and those who cannot.

In the end, as someone who still runs Windows 10 OS, the discontinuation of support came and went like an expired warranty, with little warning or urgency, or any real communication about the consequences this imposed on my device. For the severity of security threat that the end of Windows 10 poses, Microsoft has done a lackluster job at showing it.

Sources

Bastick, Z., & Mallet-Garcia, M. (2022). Double lockdown: The effects of digital exclusion on undocumented immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. New Media & Society, 24(2), 365–383. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211063185

Boyd, C. (2022, June 29). Immigration organisations targeted by APT group Evilnum. Malwarebytes. https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2022/06/immigration-

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Doffman, Z. (2025, July 4). Microsoft warns 400 million Windows Users—Upgrade your PC now. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/07/04/microsoft-warns- 400-million-windows-users-upgrade-your-pc-now/

Greig, J. (2024, August 2). Hackers directly email customers of immigration firm after damaging cyberattack. The Record. https://therecord.media/hackers-email-victims-customers-data-breach

Technologies, S. (2024, July 10). Ransomware breach disrupted Indonesia immigration and other government services. Sangfor Technologies.

https://www.sangfor.com/blog/cybersecurity/ransomware-bre ach-disrupted-indonesia-immigration-and-other-government-services

Vaidyamath, U. (2020, June 18). Immigration lawyers working from home should be aware of malware. Here’s what it is and how to avoid it. https://mitratech.com/es/centro-de-recursos/blog/immigration-lawyers-working-from-home-should-be-aware-of-malware-heres-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it/