NewsPublished 31 Mar 2016Updated 21 Nov 2025

Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 One-Year Retirement Notice

Affects Red HatSource GCVE Database

Description

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (RHEL 5) reached the end of its Production Phase 3 support on March 31, 2017. Until that date, critical security patches and urgent bug fixes were provided for RHEL 5.11, the final release in the RHEL 5 series. After this date, active support under standard subscriptions ended, but customers could purchase an Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On for up to 3.5 additional years of critical fixes for RHEL 5.11 on x86 architectures. The ELS Add-On support concluded on November 30, 2020. Customers are encouraged to migrate to newer supported RHEL versions for comprehensive support.

Impact

The end of active support means that RHEL 5 systems no longer receive regular security updates or bug fixes under standard subscriptions, increasing the risk of unpatched vulnerabilities on these systems. The availability of the ELS Add-On provided a limited extension of critical security fixes for a defined period, but after November 30, 2020, no further official critical patches are available for RHEL 5.11. Continued use of unsupported versions may expose systems to security risks due to lack of updates.

Defensive guidance

Customers should migrate from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 to a more recent, supported version to ensure continued receipt of security patches and support. For those requiring extended support beyond March 31, 2017, purchasing the Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On subscription was an option to receive critical fixes until November 30, 2020. Since ELS coverage has ended, migration is the recommended mitigation. No new patches are available beyond the ELS period.

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Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 13 Nov 2026, 18:49 UTC

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