MS-DEFCON 2: ESU plans announced for Windows 10

By Susan Bradley

In the midst of Microsoft’s pushing Windows 11 24H2 and updates for Windows 10, caution is in order.

As a result, I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2. Keep 24H2 at bay, and give me a few weeks to understand and fully vet next week’s updates.

We’ve known for some time that Extended Security Update (ESU) plans would be offered for Windows 10 in October 2025, when regular support ends. What we did not know until recently was the cost for consumers. Last week, on Halloween, Microsoft gave us a treat by announcing a price of $30 for one year. Exact details about obtaining these ESU plans will be disclosed later next year.

One thing we don’t know yet is what the installation mechanism will be. Thinking back to Windows 10, I suspect that Microsoft will likely require a Microsoft account in order to get the ESU product key, although it may be possible without a Microsoft account. As soon as the ESU is available, I will obtain an ESU key for one of my Windows 10 PCs and walk everyone through the entire process.

The $30 cost is good, considering that the business ESU will cost $61 for the first year. But the consumer plan is good for only one year, with no information about subsequent years. I suspect the one-year consumer plan is intended as a bridge to Windows 11. Businesses needing more time to complete their transition to Windows 11 will probably opt for the Business ESU for maximum flexibility.

I’m repeating myself, but it’s important to defer two major releases.

The new Photo app for iOS and iPadOS is not ready for prime time. Therefore, I continue to recommend deferring iOS and iPadOS 18.1 until those problems settle down. Unless you are anxious to give Apple Intelligence a whirl, there are no compelling reasons to move to iOS and iPadOS 18 at all, especially if your iPhone is more than a year old. You’ll be prompted to update, but you can opt to stick with iOS and iPadOS 17. Of course, if you buy an iPhone 16 now, iOS and iPadOS 18.1 will come with it.

I’m sure you can guess my other word of caution. Unless you have a specific need to test, don’t upgrade to Windows 11 24H2. For now, I still see no compelling reason to make the leap, especially because it is a big update (a complete OS replacement) that takes a couple of hours. For consumers, there are still too many blocking issues that keep me from recommending it.

As mentioned above, defer next week’s updates, using your preferred tool at BlockAPatch.com.

Businesses running macOS Sequoia may be aware that version 15 was causing issues with security tools and networking. The recent release of 15.1 has been triggering some connectivity issues as well. You may need to forget Wi-Fi and reset it to restore the wireless connection.

Generally speaking, when Windows Server versions get released, it’s a sign that you should be reaching out to your server vendors to find out when they will be supporting the operating system. Because Windows Server 2025 and System Center 2025 are now in general release, you should consider beginning testing of the operating system and determine when you will start supporting or deploying it. I would also recommend reviewing the tech notes from both HP and Dell before deploying. Already there are some issues you can safely ignore. But there are also reports that some Servers using third-party patching tools are accidentally getting updated to Server 2025s

I recommend deferring updates until later in the month. If you have not updated SharePoint 2016 to 2019 for CVE-2024-38094, I’ll urge you to do so immediately. This bug, patched in July, is now under active attack. Ensure you install the following updates:

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