Your beloved old tech is a security risk. It’s time to let go

The latest technology may sport the latest bells and whistles, but it can be costly to upgrade. Not just in price, but also in features. Newer isn’t always better, especially when you’re perfectly happy with your existing devices. 

Except when more contemporary gear can keep you from getting hacked—as D-Link has reminded its customers several times this past month. The company is warning customers still using end-of-life VPN routers, NAS units, and modems of vulnerabilities that can be remotely exploited. Totaling over 100,000 in number, the affected units can be made to execute commands (VPN routers and NAS boxes) or be taken over completely (modems).

Further reading: Solve your Wi-Fi problems with these smart router settings

D-Link says it will not release security patches for this older hardware, which sport release dates going back as much as a decade or more. Instead, the company urges its customers to move on to newer hardware—a step that applies as much to these users as anyone still clinging to obsolete devices.

For many people accustomed to using items until they wear out, the idea of giving up seemingly functional hardware can feel wasteful and unnecessary. But the sad reality is that when a device becomes susceptible to attacks, the hardware is generally no longer safe to use, even if it still works.

In the case of these D-Link networking devices, you could end up with an intruder on your home network that can spy on you, including any sensitive or personal activity. And such attacks aren’t limited to just networking equipment—phones and laptops can become just as vulnerable when software updates end.

Device manufacturers don’t universally issue alerts about obsolescence, either. You may not even notice until incompatibility errors arise for commonly used apps—or strange behavior arises.

So, unfortunately, the burden of knowing your gear’s end of life is on you. For some types of devices like Android phones and Chromebooks, you can look this up online—it’s stated upfront how long to expect software updates. Others get notifications after a certain period of time, like five or ten years. And yet other times, you’ll have to make the call yourself, after realizing further updates haven’t been issued in a long while.

Sometimes you can extend hardware life by changing its software—for example, flashing an Android phone with different firmware from a trusted source. Or transforming an old Windows laptop into a Chromebook or Linux machine.

But other times, you can’t eke any more life out of a device with reasonable effort. Your only choice is to move on to new hardware to stay protected. No clearer is this point than with Windows 10 PCs. The coming death of Windows 10 in 2025 will render thousands of laptops and desktops incapable of running a modern, secure version of Windows—their hardware components won’t meet the requirements of Windows 11. And, realistically speaking, not everyone can switch to ChromeOS Flex or Linux—apps aren’t always universally available across all platforms. 

The only thing that lessens the sting of having to replace well-loved gear is snagging a good replacement at a discount. That can be done by purchasing a newer but not brand-new model, shopping during a sale period, or both.

(Speaking of, November can be one of the best times to upgrade gear, with all the Black Friday deals happening—provided you grab an actual good bargain among the questionable ones. The potential of tariffs next year also make upgrading soon a possible wise move, as they can affect prices).

As easy as it is to grumble about the unnecessary throwing of older yet functional hardware overboard, the ever-changing nature of security can render older methods of defense outdated and weak. (For example, if your router only supports WEP or original WPA protocols, it is definitely way too old to still be in regular use).

In fact, that’s part of why Microsoft is throwing so many PCs overboard in the move to Windows 11—it wants devices capable of utilizing a TPM and Secure Boot. Also, even when devices can survive such shifts over time, most companies don’t have the resources to support them indefinitely.

Still, it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Not like I would have direct knowledge of this, with a box full of cherished hardware I never found close replacements for. (RIP, Asus Chromebook Flip CP101PA).