Hardware End-of-Support-Life (EOSL) — The EOL Risk Nobody Tracks

Hardware EOSL creates hidden risk because devices keep running while firmware can no longer be patched.

Network devices, servers, storage systems, and security appliances can remain exposed to permanent firmware vulnerabilities.

Standard vulnerability scanners often miss unsupported hardware, so the risk may go undetected.

Compliance frameworks such as PCI DSS 4.0, NIST SP 800-53, SOC 2, and ISO 27001 may flag this as a control issue.