Ethical Hacking News
Microsoft is reminding administrators that Exchange 2016 and 2019 will reach the end of extended support in just 30 days. Organizations must upgrade or decommission these outdated servers by October 14, 2025, to avoid lost technical support and increased security risks.
Microsoft has issued a formal warning to administrators of Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2019, informing them that these versions will reach the end of extended support in 30 days. Failure to upgrade or decommission these versions by October 14, 2025, will result in Microsoft ceasing technical support, including bug fixes and security patches. Organizations must take immediate action to secure their email infrastructure and consider upgrading to newer, more secure versions of the Exchange Server.
Microsoft has issued a formal warning to administrators of Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2019, informing them that these versions of the email server will reach the end of extended support in just 30 days. This is a critical reminder for organizations that have been using these outdated servers, as failure to upgrade or decommission them by October 14, 2025, will result in Microsoft ceasing technical support, including bug fixes and security patches.
In January this year, Microsoft had already issued a similar warning, informing customers that Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 would reach the end of mainstream support on October 13, 2024. However, it seems that the company has now extended its deadline by one month to accommodate organizations that may have been delaying their upgrades.
According to the Microsoft product lifecycle website, Exchange 2016 reached mainstream end date in October 2020, while Exchange 2019's mainstream support ended on January 9, 2024. This means that users of these versions are no longer receiving security updates or bug fixes from Microsoft, and are instead relying on community-driven efforts to patch vulnerabilities.
As a result, organizations that still have servers running Exchange 2016 and 2013 are advised to upgrade to Exchange Server SE or install Exchange 2019 first. Those using Exchange 2016 are recommended to perform a legacy (a.k.a. side-by-side) upgrade to Exchange Server SE and then an in-place upgrade when the latter becomes available.
Meanwhile, organizations that have been relying on Microsoft's support for these outdated servers will need to take immediate action to secure their email infrastructure. Failure to do so may leave them vulnerable to security breaches and exploitation by malicious actors.
Microsoft is offering two alternatives to these legacy versions: Exchange Online (available as a standalone service or as an Office 365 subscription) and the Exchange Server Subscription Edition (SE). These newer versions offer improved security, scalability, and reliability, making them an attractive option for organizations looking to modernize their email infrastructure.
In addition to this reminder, Microsoft has also released its Picus Blue Report 2025, which provides a comprehensive look at prevention, detection, and data exfiltration trends in the context of password cracking. According to the report, nearly half of all environments have had passwords cracked in the past year, with a significant increase from last year's findings.
The report highlights the growing threat of password-related attacks and emphasizes the importance of implementing robust security measures to protect against these threats.
In conclusion, Microsoft's warning about the end of support for Exchange 2016 and 2019 is a critical reminder for organizations that have been using outdated email servers. Failure to upgrade or decommission these versions by October 14, 2025, will result in lost technical support and increased security risks. Organizations must take immediate action to secure their email infrastructure and consider upgrading to newer, more secure versions of the Exchange Server.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/MICROSOFT-EXCHANGE-2016-AND-2019-REACH-END-OF-SUPPORT-IN-30-DAYS-WHAT-THIS-MEANS-FOR-YOUR-ORGANIZATION-ehn.shtml
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-exchange-2016-and-2019-reach-end-of-support-in-30-days/
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/t-9-months-exchange-server-2016-and-exchange-server-2019-end-of-support/4366605
Published: Mon Sep 15 12:41:49 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
