RHEL 4 · Version Status

RHEL 4 End of Life Date

RHEL 4 end-of-life date, support status, and CVE risk. Data from endoflife.date and official vendor documentation.

⚠ RHEL 4 is past end of life. This version no longer receives security patches. 5228 days past EOL — migrate to a supported version immediately.
EOL Date
Feb 29, 2012
5228 days past EOL
Latest Release
4.9
Standard release
Release Date
Feb 15, 2005
RHEL 4 series
All RHEL versions RHEL 5 →
90 / 100
Critical Risk
EOL Risk Score™  How is this calculated? →
EOL Recency
40/40
Attack Surface
30/30 Critical tier
CISA KEV Exposure
20/20 Yes — CISA 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 →
Recommended upgrade path
RHEL 10
Latest release: 10.2 · EOL: May 31, 2035
View full RHEL timeline →
Extended Support
Extended RHEL 4 support is available

Commercial vendors offer security patches beyond EOL — compare your options.

Compare Options →
All RHEL Versions
VersionLatestEOL DateStatus
→ 4 4.9 Feb 29, 2012 EOL
5 LTS 5.11 Mar 31, 2017 EOL
6 LTS 6.10 Nov 30, 2020 EOL
7 LTS 7.9 Jun 30, 2024 EOL
8 LTS 8.10 May 31, 2029 Active
9 LTS 9.8 May 31, 2032 Active
10 LTS 10.2 May 31, 2035 Active

What does RHEL 4 end of life mean?

When RHEL 4 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: Most vulnerability scanners check for known CVEs but do not flag the ongoing accumulation of unpatched vulnerabilities in EOL software versions. Running RHEL 4 past its EOL date creates a permanently growing attack surface that standard security tooling will not surface.

Migrate to RHEL 10 or implement compensating controls — network segmentation, enhanced monitoring, restricted access — while migration is underway.

Frequently Asked Questions
When does RHEL 4 reach end of life?
RHEL 4 reached end of life on February 29, 2012. This version is no longer receiving security patches.
Is RHEL 4 still supported?
No. RHEL 4 reached end of life on February 29, 2012 and is no longer receiving security patches.
What should I upgrade to from RHEL 4?
The recommended upgrade from RHEL 4 is RHEL 10 — the latest actively supported version. Check the RHEL full timeline for all supported versions.
What are the security risks of running RHEL 4 past EOL?
When RHEL 4 reaches end of life, the maintainers stop issuing security patches. Any CVEs disclosed after the EOL date accumulate with no remediation path. Most vulnerability scanners do not flag this — it is the CVE blind spot. Organizations running EOL RHEL should migrate immediately or implement compensating controls.
Does RHEL track end-of-life by point release (e.g. RHEL 10.1, RHEL 10.2)?
No — RHEL end-of-life dates apply to the entire 10.x release series, not individual point releases. A point release like RHEL 10.1 or RHEL 10.2 shares the same EOL date as RHEL 10. Security patches stop for the entire 10.x line on that date, regardless of which patch version you are running. Check the table above for EOL dates by major version series.
Deep Dive
Full Guide
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) End of Life: Full Support Timeline
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Data from endoflife.date API · Generated at build time · How we source data →
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