As Microsoft gets ready to sunset Windows 10, security support is scheduled to end in October. You can get a one-year extended security update for $30. But if you want to stick with Windows 10 for another year, you might be better off with Microsoft’s free option — you’ll just need to use cloud backup and connect it with your OneDrive account. 

The ability to get free updates on Windows 10 is a pretty big deal because it is still the most widely used Windows OS, accounting for just over 53% of installs as of May 2025. That leaves millions of people without security support in just a few months unless they upgrade. So the cloud backup option gives users a way out without costing them any money. 

The only potential issue is OneDrive. Anyone with a Microsoft account gets up to 5GB of storage for free. However, as The Verge points out, some backups may exceed this limitation, requiring users to purchase a monthly or yearly plan. At $2 per month for 100GB of cloud storage, a year of OneDrive still costs less than the $30 for a year of additional security updates, but it may still cause frustration among some customers. 

Windows 10 was released a decade ago, in July 2015.

How to get Windows 10 security updates for free

Per Microsoft’s blog post, there are now three options for those who want to stay on Windows 10 and still receive security updates: 

• Use Windows Backup to sync settings to the cloud via OneDrive. 
• Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. Redeeming those points can buy you one year of security updates.
• Pay $30 for the extended security updates program.

You will be presented with these options starting in July, which is when Microsoft plans to roll out the sign-up wizard for the Extended Security Updates program. Signing up for this option will guarantee updates until Oct. 13, 2026, although businesses will have the option to purchase up to three years of additional updates. So, this isn’t a long-term solution, but rather gives you more time to upgrade to Windows 11. 

It’s been an uphill battle for Microsoft, as people have been reluctant to upgrade their existing hardware. There are myriad differences between the two operating systems, but Microsoft’s string of unpopular decisions along with Windows 11 compatibility issues have kept the prior generation OS around a lot longer than it normally would be.

PayPal doubled down on crypto on Monday with the launch of Pay With Crypto, a new feature that lets customers use bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies at checkout with millions of merchants worldwide. While PayPal has a history of investing in crypto, this move aims to provide easier cross-border transactions and an almost-instant settlement, while reducing transaction fees by up to 90%. 

When someone chooses to pay with crypto, PayPal automatically converts the digital coins into local currency for the seller. This means merchants don’t have to handle crypto themselves or worry about price swings since they get paid in dollars or their local money, just like any other transaction. PayPal says this could help businesses save money on fees, especially for international sales.

«Businesses of all sizes face incredible pressure when growing globally, from increased costs for accepting international payments to complex integrations,» Alex Chriss, president and CEO of PayPal, said in the press release. «We’re removing these barriers and helping every business of every size achieve their goals.»

The company says this is part of its bigger plan to make crypto more practical for everyday use, not just investing. CNET reported in April that PayPal had teamed up with Coinbase to offer crypto rewards for its stablecoin PYUSD, as well as new incentives for using its app to manage digital assets. And now, PayPal is signaling it wants to move crypto beyond just buying and holding and into everyday commerce.

PayPal says Pay With Crypto works seamlessly within its existing checkout experience. When paying online, eligible customers will see crypto as a payment option alongside credit cards and bank accounts. The crypto is instantly converted to fiat currency behind the scenes, so merchants don’t have to handle any digital coins directly.

PayPal says the system currently supports 100 cryptocurrencies, with plans to expand. PayPal first opened up crypto buying and selling in 2020, but this is the biggest push so far to make spending it part of everyday online shopping. The company says Pay With Crypto will roll out to US customers first, with more countries to follow.

Tea, a women’s safety dating app that has surged to the top of the free iOS App Store listings, suffered a major security breach last week. The company confirmed Friday that it has «identified authorized access to one of our systems» that exposed thousands of user images. And now, there’s the potential that more details on people using the app could be accessed.

According to Tea’s preliminary findings from the end of last week, the breach allowed access to approximately 72,000 images, broken down into two groups: 13,000 images of selfies and photo identification that people had submitted during account verification and 59,000 images that were publicly viewable in the app from posts, comments and direct messages.

Those images had been in a «legacy data system» that contained information from more than two years ago, the company said in statement. «At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that current or additional user data was affected.»

Earlier Friday, posts on Reddit and 404 Media reported that Tea app users’ faces and IDs had been posted on anonymous online message board 4chan.

Tea requires users to verify their identities with selfies or IDs, which is why driver’s licenses and pictures of people’s faces are in the leaked data.

Tea said it has launched a full investigation to assess the scope and impact of the breach.

DMs potentially exposed

A security researcher has also discovered that it is possible for hackers to gain access to DMs between Tea users, according to a report by 404 Media on Monday. This reportedly affects messages sent up to last week by people using the Tea app. Tea didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on this latest report.

The premise of Tea is to provide women with a space to report negative interactions they’ve had while encountering men in the dating pool, purportedly to keep other women safe. The app hit the No. 1 spot on Apple’s US App Store last week, drawing international attention and sparking a debate about whether the app violates men’s privacy. If the reports of a breach turn out to be true, it will also play into the wider ongoing debate around whether online identity and age verification pose an inherent security risk to internet users.

In the privacy section on its website, Tea says: «Tea Dating Advice takes reasonable security measures to protect your Personal Information to prevent loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. Please be aware, however, that despite our efforts, no security measures are impenetrable.»