ROS 2 iron · Version Status
ROS 2 iron End of Life Date
ROS 2 iron 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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ROS 2 iron is past end of life. This version no longer receives security patches. 658 days past EOL — migrate to a supported version immediately.
EOL Date
Dec 4, 2024
658 days past EOL
Latest Release
—
Standard release
Release Date
May 23, 2023
ROS 2 iron series
Lifecycle detail
ROS 2 iron was released on May 23, 2023 and support ended on December 4, 2024 — a supported lifespan of 1 year and 7 months, in line with the 1 year and 7 months median for ROS 2 releases. It has been without security patches for 1 year and 10 months. 2 newer ROS 2 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 ROS 2 iron support is available
Commercial vendors offer security patches beyond EOL. Compare your options.
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What does ROS 2 iron end of life mean?
When ROS 2 iron 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 ROS 2 iron past its EOL date creates a growing attack surface that a clean scan result does not rule out.
Migrate to ROS 2 lyrical or implement compensating controls — network segmentation, enhanced monitoring, restricted access — while migration is underway.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does ROS 2 iron reach end of life?
ROS 2 iron reached end of life on December 4, 2024. This version is no longer receiving security patches.
Is ROS 2 iron still supported?
No. ROS 2 iron reached end of life on December 4, 2024 and is no longer receiving security patches.
What should I upgrade to from ROS 2 iron?
The recommended upgrade from ROS 2 iron is
ROS 2 lyrical — the latest actively supported version. Check the
ROS 2 full timeline for all supported versions.
What are the security risks of running ROS 2 iron past EOL?
When ROS 2 iron reaches end of life, the maintainers stop issuing 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 ROS 2 should migrate immediately or implement compensating controls.