FreeBSD stable/5 · Version Status
FreeBSD stable/5 End of Life Date
FreeBSD stable/5 end-of-life date, support status, and CVE risk. Data reconciled from official vendor documentation and endoflife.date at every build; the source of each date is on the product page.
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FreeBSD stable/5 is past end of life. This version no longer receives security patches. 6734 days past EOL — migrate to a supported version immediately.
EOL Date
May 31, 2008
6734 days past EOL
Latest Release
—
Standard release
Release Date
Jan 14, 2003
FreeBSD stable/5 series
Where these dates come from
End of lifeMay 31, 2008endoflife.date (open dataset) · endoflife.datemedium · 1 source agrees ReleaseJan 14, 2003endoflife.date (open dataset) · endoflife.datemedium · 1 source agrees Confidence: high = two or more independent sources agree (the vendor's page read by our adapter, a person's check against the vendor, the dataset the date came from); medium = one; low = the vendor page disagrees or our last read is stale.
How we source dates.
Lifecycle detail
FreeBSD 5 was released on January 14, 2003 and support ended on May 31, 2008 — a supported lifespan of 5 years and 5 months, longer than the 1 year and 3 months median for FreeBSD releases. It has been past its end-of-life date for 18 years and 5 months. 51 newer FreeBSD releases have shipped since.
Attack Surface
10/30 Medium tier
CISA KEV Exposure
0/20 Not in KEV
Extended Support
0/10 Available
EOL Risk Score™ — proprietary methodology by endoflife.ai. Factors: EOL recency, attack surface breadth, CISA KEV catalog presence, extended support availability. Updated at every build.
Methodology → ·
View score card →
Extended Support
Extended FreeBSD stable/5 support options
Some vendors and third parties sell security patches beyond end of life; whether one covers this version varies. Compare your options.
Compare Options →
What does FreeBSD stable/5 end of life mean?
When FreeBSD stable/5 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 FreeBSD stable/5 past its EOL date creates a growing attack surface that a clean scan result does not rule out.
Migrate to FreeBSD releng/14.5 or implement compensating controls — network segmentation, enhanced monitoring, restricted access — while migration is underway.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does FreeBSD stable/5 reach end of life?
FreeBSD stable/5 reached end of life on May 31, 2008. This version is no longer receiving security patches.
Is FreeBSD stable/5 still supported?
No. FreeBSD stable/5 reached end of life on May 31, 2008 and is no longer receiving security patches.
What should I upgrade to from FreeBSD stable/5?
The recommended upgrade from FreeBSD stable/5 is
FreeBSD releng/14.5 — the latest actively supported version. Check the
FreeBSD full timeline for all supported versions.
What are the security risks of running FreeBSD stable/5 past EOL?
Since FreeBSD stable/5 reached end of life, the maintainers no longer issue security patches. Any CVEs disclosed after the EOL date accumulate with no vendor fix. A CVE-based scan does not show this — it is the CVE blind spot; some scanners flag unsupported versions of common products, but coverage varies and none give the date in advance. Organizations running EOL FreeBSD should migrate immediately or implement compensating controls.