News · written 8 November 2026. A summary for readers, not technical advice — check the sources at the end for the details.

OpenSSL is the free, open-source library that much of the internet uses for encrypted connections: web servers, command-line tools and many desktop apps rely on it. Each version line is supported for a set time, and two of them have just reached the end of theirs.

What happened

On 1 November 2026 the OpenSSL project announced that the OpenSSL 3.4 and OpenSSL 3.6 series have reached end of life: they will no longer receive publicly available security fixes.

• OpenSSL 3.4 came out on 22 October 2024 as a regular release — not a long-term support (LTS) one. Regular releases up to 3.4 got two years of public support, so it reached end of life on 22 October 2026.
• OpenSSL 3.6 came out on 1 October 2025, also as a regular release. Under the project's current release strategy, regular releases after 3.5 get 13 months of public support, so it reached end of life on 1 November 2026.

Which versions are supported now

The OpenSSL downloads page lists these as supported on 8 November 2026:

• OpenSSL 4.1 — the most recent version, supported until 23 November 2027.
• OpenSSL 4.0 — supported until 14 May 2027.
• OpenSSL 3.5 — a long-term support (LTS) release, supported until 8 April 2030.

In the page's words, all versions not listed there "are out of support and should not be used in production".

What about extended support?

Extended support — security fixes beyond the public end-of-life date — is offered through a support contract for LTS releases only, so it does not cover 3.4 or 3.6. For anyone who cannot upgrade in time, the announcement says OpenSSL Corporation can discuss support for these versions outside its standard support agreement.

What it means for people who ship software

Many apps and servers include OpenSSL, either bundled inside the program or taken from the system they run on. If something you build or publish uses OpenSSL 3.4 or 3.6, the project's advice is that now is the time to move to a newer version — 4.1, 4.0 or the long-term 3.5 — and to release an update so your users keep getting security fixes.

Sources

• OpenSSL Library — OpenSSL 3.4 and 3.6 End of Life, 1 November 2026 (end-of-life dates, support lengths, extended support).
• OpenSSL Library — Downloads (supported versions and their end dates, as listed on 8 November 2026).
• OpenSSL Library — Release strategy (how long LTS and regular releases are supported).

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