2025-08-05 –, Copa
As digital infrastructure ages, a growing number of critical systems across sectors—from healthcare and manufacturing to energy and transportation—continue to rely on end-of-life (EOL) equipment that no longer receives security updates or vendor support. These legacy systems often harbor “forever-day” vulnerabilities: known flaws for which no patches exist and none are forthcoming. The persistence of these unfixable weaknesses poses a significant and growing threat to national security, public safety, and economic stability.
This panel will examine the multifaceted challenges of managing EOL technology in high-risk environments. Topics will include the operational and financial barriers to replacing legacy systems, the risks of continued reliance on unsupported software and hardware, and the ethical dilemmas faced by defenders who must secure the unsecurable. Panelists will also explore real-world incidents where forever-day vulnerabilities were exploited, and the cascading consequences that followed.
The discussion will highlight emerging policy proposals aimed at mitigating these risks, including mandatory lifecycle planning, incentives for modernization, liability frameworks for unsupported systems, and the potential role of government-backed vulnerability research and mitigation programs. Attendees will gain insight into how public and private stakeholders can collaborate to reduce systemic exposure, prioritize critical upgrades, and build a more resilient digital ecosystem.
Stacey Higginbotham has been covering technology for major publications for two decades. She is an expert when it comes to the internet of things and technology in general. Her work has appeared in Fortune (where she was Senior Editor), PCMag, MIT Technology Review, Gigaom and Worth magazine. She is also a co-host on This Week in Google.
Paul is a respected cybersecurity journalist and Editor in Chief at The Security Ledger. Since 2018 he has spearheaded efforts to organize the information security community to support a right to repair as founder of the group Secure Repairs.
Silas Cutler is an experienced security researcher and malware analyst. His focus has been researching organized cyber-crime groups and state-sponsored attacks.