Government Establishes 'Cyber Comprehensive Situation Room' to Address Windows 7 Security End-of-Life

Government Complex Sejong / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Osangdo] As Microsoft (MS) ends technical support for its computer operating system (OS) Windows 7, the government is establishing a 'Public Institution Cybersecurity Comprehensive Situation Room' and is beginning full-scale countermeasures. When MS's technical support ends on the 14th, all software updates, including security updates, will become impossible on computers using Windows 7. The possibility of security vulnerabilities cannot be ruled out.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 10th, the establishment of the comprehensive situation room focuses on such security threats. The situation room will serve as a command center to identify and respond to cyber threats at public institutions nationwide. It will be composed of about 100 employees from the National Information Resources Service and the Korea Local Information Development Institute. The director will be the head of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's e-Government Bureau.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to maintain a cooperative system with related agencies such as the National Security Office, the National Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Science and ICT to respond to cyber threats.

Furthermore, the government plans to replace 99% (3.06 million units) of the 3.09 million Windows 7 PCs used in central government ministries, local governments, education offices, and public institutions with higher versions such as Windows 10 before the 14th. The remaining 30,000 units will be used for educational and experimental purposes or will have their OS replaced once Windows 10 compatibility issues are resolved.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.