The term "end of life" (EOL) is the specific industry standard for when a software vendor ceases all support for a product, including an operating system. This cessation of support means the vendor will no longer provide security updates, patches, or any technical assistance. The email received by the administrator, which states that security updates and patches will no longer be issued, is a direct announcement of the OS reaching its EOL status. This is a critical security concern as the OS will become increasingly vulnerable to new threats over time.

A. Support from the computer's manufacturer is expiring: This refers to hardware support (e.g., warranty, parts), not the OS vendor's commitment to providing software security updates.

C. The built-in security software is being removed from the next OS version: This describes a feature change in a future OS version and does not explain why the current OS is losing all support.

D. A new version of the OS will be released soon: While a new release often precedes an older version's EOL, it is not the direct cause. The formal EOL declaration is the reason support ends.

1. Microsoft Corporation. (n.d.). General Lifecycle Policy questions. Microsoft Learn. Retrieved from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/general-lifecycle-policy.

Under the "What does end of support mean?" section

it states: "end of support for a product means there will be no more security updates

non-security updates

or assisted support." This directly aligns with the scenario.

2. MIT Information Systems & Technology (IS&T). (2023

October 23). What does 'end-of-life' mean for software and operating systems? MIT. Retrieved from https://ist.mit.edu/news/what-does-end-life-mean-software-and-operating-systems.

The document defines the term: "When a software or operating system (OS) reaches the end of its life

the developer will no longer provide updates

including critical security patches."

3. Householder

A. D. (2019

May 20). The Security Dangers of End-of-Life Software. Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Blog. Retrieved from https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/blog/the-security-dangers-of-end-of-life-software/.

This publication from a reputable research institution explains

"End-of-life (EOL) is a term that the vendor uses to indicate that a product... is at the end of its useful life... From the vendor's perspective

this means that they will no longer be marketing

selling

or updating the product with patches."