Linux 4.19, the Last Supported Kernel of the Linux 4.x Series, Finally Reaches EOL

Linux kernel 4.19 has reached its end-of-life, announced by kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman on the Linux kernel mailing list. The kernel branch was released over six years ago and received 325 maintenance updates, with the last one being Linux 4.19.325. The kernel 4.19 series introduced initial Wi-Fi 6 support, the EROFS file system, and a union mount filesystem implementation. Kroah-Hartman stated that the kernel branch is finished and no longer supported. As proof, he pointed out that there are 983 unfixed CVEs in the kernel release, which is a signal that no one is caring enough to backport the needed fixes. This number does not include hardware CVEs, which are not tracked by kernel.org. Kroah-Hartman advised users to move to a more modern kernel, such as 6.12.y, which will be supported for multiple years. The 4.19 kernel series had a good life, but it's time to move on. Users should upgrade to a newer kernel to ensure they receive necessary security fixes. The end-of-life announcement serves as a reminder to companies to validate their statements about kernel support with facts.