Cisco Catalyst switches (hardware) Catalyst 3850 End of Life Date
Cisco Catalyst switches (hardware) Catalyst 3850 end-of-life date, support status, and CVE risk. Dates read at the vendor's own lifecycle pages (cisco.com); the source of each date is on the product page.
It has been without security patches for 1 year.
Commercial vendors offer security patches beyond EOL. Compare your options.
Compare Options →| Version | Latest | EOL Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| → Catalyst 3850 | Catalyst 3850 | Oct 31, 2025 | EOL |
| Catalyst 3650 | Catalyst 3650 | Oct 31, 2026 | Warning |
| Catalyst 2960-X | Catalyst 2960-X | Oct 31, 2027 | Active |
| Catalyst 2960-X WS-C2960X-24PSQ-L | Catalyst 2960-X WS-C2960X-24PSQ-L | Apr 30, 2028 | Active |
| Catalyst 9500-40X | Catalyst 9500-40X | Apr 30, 2029 | Active |
| Catalyst 9500-24Q | Catalyst 9500-24Q | Apr 30, 2029 | Active |
| Catalyst 9500-12Q | Catalyst 9500-12Q | Apr 30, 2029 | Active |
What does Cisco Catalyst switches (hardware) Catalyst 3850 end of life mean?
When Cisco Catalyst switches (hardware) Catalyst 3850 reaches end of life, the maintainers stop issuing security patches for this version. CVEs discovered after the EOL date are publicly disclosed on the National Vulnerability Database with no patch available. Exploit code frequently appears on GitHub within days of disclosure.
The CVE blind spot: A CVE-based scan does not show the ongoing accumulation of unpatched vulnerabilities in EOL software versions. Some scanners flag unsupported versions of common products, but coverage varies, and none of them give you the date in advance. Running Cisco Catalyst switches (hardware) Catalyst 3850 past its EOL date creates a growing attack surface that a clean scan result does not rule out.
Migrate to Cisco Catalyst switches (hardware) Catalyst 9500-12Q or implement compensating controls — network segmentation, enhanced monitoring, restricted access — while migration is underway.