NewsPublished 22 Dec 2016Updated 21 Nov 2025

Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Three-Month 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 impact security patches and selected Urgent priority bug fixes were provided for RHEL 5.11, the final release of RHEL 5. After this date, active support ended, but customers could purchase an Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On for up to 3.5 additional years of critical fixes until November 30, 2020. The ELS Add-On was only available for x86 architectures. Customers are encouraged to migrate to newer supported RHEL versions for comprehensive support.

Impact

The end of active support means that after March 31, 2017, no new security patches or urgent fixes were provided for RHEL 5 unless customers purchased the Extended Life Cycle Support Add-On. Without ELS, systems running RHEL 5 are at increased risk due to lack of security updates. The ELS Add-On extends critical fix coverage for an additional 3.5 years but only for x86 architectures. Customers continuing to use unsupported versions may face security and compliance risks.

Defensive guidance

Customers should migrate from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 to a more recent supported version, such as RHEL 7, to maintain comprehensive security support. For those who must continue using RHEL 5, purchasing the Extended Life Cycle Support Add-On provides critical security fixes until November 30, 2020. Red Hat provides tools and documentation to assist with migration. No immediate action is required if ELS is purchased; otherwise, migration is strongly recommended.

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Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 13 Nov 2026, 18:47 UTC

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