Plex Announces End of Support for Windows 7/8/8.1
Media playback and server software Plex recently divulged on its official forum that forthcoming releases of Plex Media Server will no longer support Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, macOS 10.11, or macOS 10.12. Users who persist in utilizing these antiquated operating systems will be unable to upgrade their Plex Media Server.
Specifically, Plex will release Plex Media Server 1.32.0 on April 10th, ceasing support for the aforementioned systems from this version onward. The silver lining is that older versions of Plex Media Server will remain functional, though continued use of these versions implies potential security risks.
A previous LastPass security breach was attributed to a core engineer employing an outdated Plex Media Server. The obsolete version harbored security vulnerabilities, enabling hackers to infiltrate the engineer’s computer and consequently pilfer the encryption keys for LastPass’s central systems, resulting in significant security issues.
Plex encourages users to upgrade to at least Windows 10 Version 1607 (Anniversary Update) or macOS 10.13 High Sierra, thereby facilitating the ongoing provision of critical security updates and support.
However, both the consumer and enterprise editions of Windows 10 v1607 have already been discontinued and no longer receive security updates. The only branch version of this release currently supported is Windows 10 LTSB 2016, which means non-LTSB/LTSC editions are still insecure without updates from Microsoft.
This week, gaming platform Steam also announced the cessation of support for Windows 7/8/8.1, so users clinging to older versions should expedite their upgrade plans.
