Windows 7 Users: You Need SHA-2 Support or No Windows Updates After July 2019 (zdnet.com)

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 users need to have SHA-2 code-signing installed by July 16, 2019, in order to continue to get Windows updates after that date. Microsoft issued that warning on February 15 via a Support article. From a report: Windows operating system updates are dual-signed using both the SHA-1 and SHA-2 hash algorithms to prove authenticity. But going forward, due to "weaknesses" in SHA-1, Microsoft officials have said previously that Windows updates will be using the more secure SHA-2 algorithm exclusively. Customers running Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 must have SHA-2 code-signing support installed by July 2019, Microsoft officials have said.

Comments

Microsoft : You must update to have updates

[Anonymous Coward]

Update coming to update you so you can get updates. Dawg.

Re:Microsoft : You must update to have updates

[Stormwatch]

As much as I like Linux, Windows is still where all the games are.

Re:Microsoft : You must update to have updates

[Highdude702]

They are chipping away at it. They have done leaps and bounds with Steam Play. Their dev team isn't half bad it seems.

Great Clickbait

[Anonymous Coward]

Why don't we read the next blurbs of the article that come immediately after the part cited in the summary:

"Microsoft has published a timeline for migrating these operating systems to SHA-2, with support for the algorithm coming in standalone updates. On March 12, Microsoft is planning a standalone update with SHA-2 code sign support for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. It also will deliver to WSUS 3.0 SP2 the required support for delivering SHA-2 updates.

Microsoft will make available a standalone update with SHA-2 code sign support for Windows Server 2008 SP2 on April 9, 2019. "

tldr; nothing will change for these users

Re:Great Clickbait

[sjames]

On May 14th they'll roll out the patches again, this time signed with SHA1 so they can actually install. June 11th they'll roll back the accidentally included patch that causes all printers to add a faint watermark of Satya Nadella's butt. In July they'll roll out a patch that makes the sha2 actually verify when it should. Then in August, a patch that makes it NOT verify when it shouldn't. In September they'll re-roll back the Satya Nadella's butt watermark that somehow crept back in in August. In October they'll re-issue the re-rollback patch, this time signed with SHA2 since they removed the SHA1 code in July. In November they'll deny all knowledge of a patch replacing the start-up sound with a braying donkey.

Re:Great Clickbait

[Luckyo]

On the bright side, this story is about win7, so reasonable people already defer patching by a week or two to see what crap MS sneaked into the update this time.

I am a Windows 7 user - stopped automatic updates

[blind biker]

I stopped automatic updates a couple of years ago. Microsofto was pushing Windows 10 hard. I realized that, once they stop pushing the Windows 10 installation, they will try to get Windows 7 user give up by pushing shit updates - stuff that will break Windows 7. Don't even try to tell me this is beyond Microsoft, we all know it is right up their alley.

So, after two years without automatic updates, all my computers (laptops and my desktop) are working without any security issues, including Meltdown that has been contained with patches that make sense vs. the crap that Microsoft pushed the first two times (surely by "mistake").

Re:Linux actually does have games now.

[Dunbal]

Being able to load a game != play and enjoy a game without graphics issues, framerate issues, disk issues, sound issues... etc