Visual Studio 15.3 · Version Status
Visual Studio 15.3 End of Life Date
Visual Studio 15.3 end-of-life date, support status, and CVE risk. Data from endoflife.date and official vendor documentation.
⚠
Visual Studio 15.3 is past end of life. This version no longer receives security patches. 3236 days past EOL — migrate to a supported version immediately.
EOL Date
Oct 9, 2017
3236 days past EOL
Latest Release
15.3.5
Standard release
Release Date
Aug 14, 2017
Visual Studio 15.3 series
Lifecycle detail
Visual Studio 15.3 was released on August 14, 2017 and support ended on October 9, 2017 — a supported lifespan of 2 months, shorter than the 3 months median for Visual Studio releases. It was not an LTS release; Visual Studio reserves longer patch windows for its LTS versions. The last patch it will ever receive is 15.3.5, published September 19, 2017 — 20 days before support ended. It has been without security patches for 8 years and 11 months. 42 newer Visual Studio releases have shipped since.
Attack Surface
10/30 Medium tier
CISA KEV Exposure
20/20 Named in 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 →
Extended Support
Extended Visual Studio 15.3 support is available
Commercial vendors offer security patches beyond EOL. Compare your options.
Compare Options →
All Visual Studio Versions
| Version | Latest | EOL Date | Status |
|---|
| 10.0 |
Service Pack 1 |
Jul 14, 2020 |
EOL |
| 11.0 |
Update 4 |
Jan 10, 2023 |
EOL |
| 12.0 |
Update 5 |
Apr 9, 2024 |
EOL |
| 14.0 |
Update 3 + KB3165756 |
Oct 14, 2025 |
EOL |
| 15.0 |
15.0.28 |
Jan 14, 2020 |
EOL |
| 15.1 |
15.1.2 |
May 10, 2017 |
EOL |
| 15.2 |
15.2.6 |
Aug 14, 2017 |
EOL |
| → 15.3 |
15.3.5 |
Oct 9, 2017 |
EOL |
What does Visual Studio 15.3 end of life mean?
When Visual Studio 15.3 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 Visual Studio 15.3 past its EOL date creates a permanently growing attack surface that standard security tooling will not surface.
Migrate to Visual Studio 18.9 or implement compensating controls — network segmentation, enhanced monitoring, restricted access — while migration is underway.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Visual Studio 15.3 reach end of life?
Visual Studio 15.3 reached end of life on October 9, 2017. This version is no longer receiving security patches.
Is Visual Studio 15.3 still supported?
No. Visual Studio 15.3 reached end of life on October 9, 2017 and is no longer receiving security patches.
What should I upgrade to from Visual Studio 15.3?
The recommended upgrade from Visual Studio 15.3 is
Visual Studio 18.9 — the latest actively supported version. Check the
Visual Studio full timeline for all supported versions.
What are the security risks of running Visual Studio 15.3 past EOL?
When Visual Studio 15.3 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 Visual Studio should migrate immediately or implement compensating controls.