VMware ESXi 6.5 End of Life
Support dates, vulnerabilities published since end of life, and upgrade guidance — rebuilt from live data.
VMware ESXi 6.5 reached end of life on 15 Oct 2022. It no longer receives security fixes.
Support timeline
Official dates, read directly from knowledge.broadcom.com.
| Milestone | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Initial release | 15 Nov 2016 | — |
| End of life | 15 Oct 2022 | 3.8 years ago |
| Latest release | 6.5 P09 · 6 Oct 2022 | final |
The cost of staying: CVEs since end of life
14 VMware ESXi vulnerabilities have been published since 15 Oct 2022. All were fixed in supported branches — 6.5 received none of them. Source: NVD.
VMware ESXi CVEs published since 6.5's EOL, by year
3 of the 14 are rated critical · data refreshed 2026-08-09
Published 5 Mar 2024 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 6.5. Details
Published 5 Mar 2024 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 6.5. Details
Published 4 Mar 2025 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 6.5. Details
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
Where to go from 6.5
Recommended target: VMware ESXi 9.1.
The newest actively supported branch is VMware ESXi 9.1 (latest release 9.1.0.0200).
Frequently asked questions
Is VMware ESXi 6.5 still safe to use?
No. VMware ESXi 6.5 stopped receiving security fixes on 15 Oct 2022. Since then, 14 VMware ESXi vulnerabilities have been published and fixed in supported branches — VMware ESXi 6.5 received none of those fixes.
Can I still download VMware ESXi 6.5?
Yes — the final release (6.5 P09) generally remains available from vendor archives and OS package mirrors, but installing it means running software with known, unpatched vulnerabilities.
What should I upgrade VMware ESXi 6.5 to?
Upgrade to VMware ESXi 9.1, the newest actively supported branch.