OpenSSL 3.4 reaches end of life on October 22, 2026, according to the project's release strategy. After that date the OpenSSL project stops publishing fixes for the 3.4 branch, security fixes included. For most systems the right target is OpenSSL 3.5, the long-term support (LTS) branch supported until April 8, 2030. OpenSSL 3.6 is a poor stopover: its own support ends on November 1, 2026.
The project publishes end-of-life dates without a cut-off time. As of October 5, 2026, the newest 3.4 release is 3.4.8, released September 29, 2026. It fixed 12 CVEs, and the most severe of them is rated High.
OpenSSL support dates as of October 2026
- 3.0 (LTS): ended September 7, 2026. The last public 3.0 release on the project's timeline is 3.0.22 from August 25, 2026.
- 3.4: ends October 22, 2026.
- 3.6: ends November 1, 2026.
- 4.0: ends May 14, 2027.
- 3.5 (LTS): ends April 8, 2030.
- 1.1.1, 1.0.2 and older: no longer supported.
The roadmap, whose dates may change, adds OpenSSL 4.1 (non-LTS, planned for October 2026 and supported until November 2027; its first beta came out on September 23) and OpenSSL 4.2, the next LTS (planned for April 2027, supported until April 2032).
Why 3.4 and 3.6 end within ten days of each other
OpenSSL 3.4 was released on October 22, 2024, under the old rule that gave non-LTS releases up to 3.4 at least two years. Non-LTS releases after 3.5 get 13 months, so 3.6, released on October 1, 2025, ends on November 1, 2026. New releases arrive every April and October, with an LTS every April in odd-numbered years.
Which version to run now
OpenSSL 3.5 LTS: the default choice
OpenSSL 3.5 shares a major version with 3.4. The project guarantees API and ABI compatibility within a major version, and every 3.x release uses the same shared library name (libssl.so.3). In most cases an application built against 3.4 runs on 3.5 without a rebuild.
Test anyway, because 3.5 changed some defaults:
- The default TLS key shares now offer the hybrid post-quantum group X25519MLKEM768 alongside X25519. This makes the ClientHello larger, which some older middleboxes handle badly.
- The default cipher for the req, cms and smime commands changed from des-ede3-cbc to aes-256-cbc.
- New features include server-side QUIC and the ML-KEM, ML-DSA and SLH-DSA algorithms.
OpenSSL 4.0: only if you need it now
OpenSSL 4.0 is a non-LTS major release, supported until May 14, 2027. Its release notes list breaking changes. Engine support, SSLv3 and the SSLv2 Client Hello are gone, ASN1_STRING is now opaque, and many function signatures gained const qualifiers. The headline addition is Encrypted Client Hello (RFC 9849). Choose 4.0 only if you need such a feature and can upgrade again before May 2027. Code that still loads engines must move to providers first.
Skip OpenSSL 3.6
Moving from 3.4 to 3.6 buys ten days of support. Go straight to 3.5.
Distribution packages follow different rules
Upstream dates apply to OpenSSL's own source releases. Linux distributions maintain the versions they ship and backport fixes into them. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS packages OpenSSL 3.0.13 and Debian 12 a 3.0.x build, and both still receive distribution security updates although upstream 3.0 support has ended. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Debian 13 ship 3.5. Red Hat notes that scanners which compare only version numbers can report backported packages as vulnerable. Before you act on a finding, check the vendor's tracker: Ubuntu, Debian or Red Hat.
Few mainstream distribution releases shipped 3.4. Ubuntu 25.04 packaged 3.4.1, but that release reached end of life in January 2026. So most remaining 3.4 copies are likely self-compiled builds, container base layers, or libraries bundled inside applications, language runtimes and appliances.
How to find OpenSSL 3.4 copies
- System tool: openssl version -a shows only the binary on your PATH and the library it loads.
- Dynamically linked services: ldd /path/to/binary | grep -E 'libssl|libcrypto' shows which library file a program loads. All 3.x releases use the .so.3 name, so check which package owns that file.
- Static or bundled copies: strings on a binary, filtered for "OpenSSL 3.", often reveals the embedded version string.
- Runtimes: python3 -c "import ssl; print(ssl.OPENSSL_VERSION)" and node -p process.versions.openssl show the copy each interpreter uses.
- Container images: an SBOM generator such as Syft lists installed packages. Pair it with the strings check for binaries that compile OpenSSL in.
For appliances and commercial software, rely on the vendor's advisories. We cover SBOM tools under DevOps tooling and OpenSSL advisories under vulnerabilities. Another October deadline: Kubernetes 1.34 reaches end of life on October 27.
Frequently asked questions
Does OpenSSL 3.4 stop working after October 22, 2026?
No. Existing builds keep running, but the project will not release fixes for 3.4 when new vulnerabilities are disclosed after that date.
When did OpenSSL 3.0 reach end of life?
On September 7, 2026, five years after its September 2021 release. OpenSSL Corporation sells Extended LTS for 3.0, 1.1.1 and 1.0.2. Distribution packages based on 3.0 follow their vendors' support terms.
When does OpenSSL 3.5 LTS reach end of life?
On April 8, 2030. In its final year, from April 2029, the project commits only to security fixes.
Is OpenSSL 4.0 an LTS release?
No. It is supported until May 14, 2027. The next planned LTS is OpenSSL 4.2, due in April 2027.