PHP 5.2 End of Life
Support dates, vulnerabilities published since end of life, and upgrade guidance — rebuilt from live data.
PHP 5.2 reached end of life on 6 Jan 2011. It no longer receives security fixes.
Support timeline
Official dates from the PHP release process.
| Milestone | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Initial release | 2 Nov 2006 | — |
| End of life | 6 Jan 2011 | 15.6 years ago |
| Active support ended | 2 Nov 2008 | security fixes only after this |
| Latest release | 5.2.17 · 6 Jan 2011 | final |
The cost of staying: CVEs since end of life
461 PHP vulnerabilities have been published since 6 Jan 2011. All were fixed in supported branches — 5.2 received none of them. Source: NVD.
PHP CVEs published since 5.2's EOL, by year
124 of the 461 are rated critical · data refreshed 2026-08-09
Published 11 May 2012 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 5.2. Details
Published 2 Dec 2015 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 5.2. Details
Published 2 Dec 2015 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 5.2. Details
Where to go from 5.2
Recommended target: PHP 8.5 (supported until 31 Dec 2029).
The newest actively supported branch is PHP 8.5 (latest release 8.5.9). Review php.net before upgrading. Run composer why-not php 8.5 to check package compatibility.
Frequently asked questions
Is PHP 5.2 still safe to use?
No. PHP 5.2 stopped receiving security fixes on 6 Jan 2011. Since then, 461 PHP vulnerabilities have been published and fixed in supported branches — PHP 5.2 received none of those fixes.
Can I still download PHP 5.2?
Yes — the final release (5.2.17) generally remains available from vendor archives and OS package mirrors, but installing it means running software with known, unpatched vulnerabilities.
What should I upgrade PHP 5.2 to?
Upgrade to PHP 8.5, the newest actively supported branch (supported until 31 Dec 2029).