End of support for VMware ESXi 6.5 and 6.7 – many legacy systems still active

There will be no more freely available security updates for VMware ESXi 6.5 and 6.7 in the future – from October 15, 2022, the versions will have reached their end of life (EoL). Therefore IT managers should replace the system with newer versions in which the manufacturer still officially includes error correction. With scans by the company Lensweeper, IT researchers found in September that only 26.4 percent of all VMware ESXi systems were tested after October 15. Still receive support from the manufacturer.

old systems with vulnerabilities

Lensweeper’s statistics are appalling: VMware vulnerabilities are part of the standard repertoire of cybercriminals looking to break into networks or move and install themselves. Nevertheless, about 13.9 percent of the VMware systems tested were running versions that have not been supported for a long time, namely VMware ESXi 5.5 and 6.0. for about 36.5 percent of 79,000 Scanned Installations More than 6000 organizations ran VMware ESXi 6.7.0, with 21.3 percent running ESXi 6.5.0.

This means that about 57.8 percent of the systems that reached their EoL were connected over the past weekend. VMware offers two more years of extended support, but it comes at an additional cost. Security updates are also limited to one roll-up package per year. According to Lensweeper, Extended Support can only be purchased until the end of Normal Support; This is no longer possible for ESXi 6.5 and 6.7.

In VMware, support is divided into several phases. Currently this means that there is general support five years after the release of security updates, new hardware support, feature updates and the like. This is followed by technical guidance – without support for new hardware, security patches or updates, and customers are encouraged to use the self-help portal. VMware ESXi 6.5 and 6.7 will receive technical guidance by November 15, 2023.

For administrators with older VMware systems without an Extended Support Agreement, we recommend updating to the ESXi 7.0 version that is still supported by the manufacturer.

(DMK)