AWS systems-manager medium security documentation change
Summary
Added explicit OS support policy: aligns with vendor lifecycles, ends at vendor EOL, excludes paid extended support, and restricts new releases for near-EOL OS versions
Security assessment
Formalizes security-critical policy: using EOL OS versions poses inherent security risks. The change explicitly documents reduced support for EOL systems, which directly impacts security posture by discouraging vulnerable configurations.
Diff
diff --git a/systems-manager/latest/userguide/operating-systems-and-machine-types.md b/systems-manager/latest/userguide/operating-systems-and-machine-types.md index 785a358ce..50ba6a2cf 100644 --- a//systems-manager/latest/userguide/operating-systems-and-machine-types.md +++ b//systems-manager/latest/userguide/operating-systems-and-machine-types.md @@ -23,0 +24,6 @@ Before working with Systems Manager, verify that your operating system (OS), OS +AWS Systems Manager provides support for a defined set of operating system (OS) versions that are actively supported by the OS vendor and are listed as supported in the AWS Systems Manager documentation. AWS Systems Manager OS support is aligned with vendors' lifecycles, as defined in their software terms of service. Not all operating systems or OS versions supported by a vendor are supported by AWS Systems Manager. + +AWS Systems Manager support for an OS version ends when the OS vendor declares that version end-of-life (EOL). Support does not extend to vendor paid Extended Long-Term Support (ELTS), or similar paid programs. While customers can continue to use and install OS versions that have gone past vendor EOL, AWS Support will only provide assistance if an issue is reproducible on a supported OS version. + +New AWS Systems Manager product releases, including new major releases of SSM Agent, do not add support for OS versions that are scheduled to reach vendor EOL within six months of the release date. +