Planning Ahead: Patch Management Lifecycle Changes for Legacy Windows Operating Systems
As part of our ongoing commitment to platform integrity and long-term supportability, Qualys is streamlining Patch Management support for older Microsoft operating systems. This allows us to focus on delivering timely, high-quality content and innovations across environments that remain actively supported.
The upcoming changes will affect the following operating systems:
- Windows 8
- Windows Server 2012 (non-R2)
- Any earlier versions of Windows
Key Milestones
December 31, 2025 – End of Technical Support
- Patch scans and deployments will continue to function normally.
- Qualys will no longer investigate or resolve issues related to Patch Management on these OS versions.
- Support requests regarding Patch Management on these platforms will be informational only.
June 30, 2026 – End of Patch Content Updates
- Patch signature updates for the affected OS versions will be discontinued.
- Agents will no longer detect or deploy patches released after this date.
- Existing content—patches released before the cutoff—will remain available for detection and deployment.
After June 30, 2026 – Activation Not Allowed
- Patch Management activation will be blocked on these legacy OS versions.
- New agent deployments on these systems will not be activated for Patch Management.
Recommended Next Steps
To ensure continued support and patch coverage, we recommend the following:
- Identify impacted assets in your environment.
- Plan for OS upgrades to supported versions like Windows 10/11 or Windows Server 2016+.
- Continue using other Qualys capabilities—such as Vulnerability Management, Policy Compliance, and File Integrity Monitoring (FIM), etc.—which will remain fully supported on these operating systems.
How to Find Affected Assets
You can use the following Qualys search query in CSAM to quickly locate assets that are currently activated for Patch Management and running legacy Microsoft operating systems:
sensors.activatedForModules:`PM` and operatingSystem.publisher:`Microsoft`
This token helps you identify assets that may need attention ahead of the cutoff dates.
Additional Resources
For full details on OS support across Qualys modules, refer to the Cloud Agent Platform Availability Matrix (PAM).
If you need assistance with migration planning or impact assessment, please contact your Technical Account Manager or Qualys Support.