Question 1

What is the EOL Risk Score for RHEL 5?

Accepted Answer

RHEL 5 has an EOL Risk Score™ of 90 out of 100, placing it in the Critical risk band. The score is calculated from four factors: EOL Recency (40/40), Attack Surface (30/30), CISA KEV Exposure (20/20), and Extended Support Availability (0/10).

Question 2

Is RHEL 5 still supported?

Accepted Answer

RHEL 5 is no longer supported — it has passed its end of life date (March 31, 2017). No further security patches will be issued. Upgrade to a supported version or obtain extended lifecycle support.

Question 3

When does RHEL 5 reach end of life?

Accepted Answer

RHEL 5 reached (or will reach) end of life on March 31, 2017. After this date, no security patches or bug fixes are issued by the vendor.

Question 4

What are the security risks of running RHEL 5 after end of life?

Accepted Answer

After end of life, the vendor's standard support for RHEL 5 ends, so newly discovered vulnerabilities may never be fixed unless a paid extended support option covers that version. Auditors ask about it too: PCI DSS requirement 12.3.4, for example, calls for a yearly review of vendor end-of-life announcements with a remediation plan approved by senior management.