Cisco boosts phase-out of insecure legacy with new initiative

"Cisco is phasing out insecure legacy features and hardening device configurations as part of a new resilient infrastructure initiative. The effort is a direct response to threats from AI-powered attacks and prepares networks for post-quantum cryptography. In the process, it is making secure-by-default the baseline. Organizations face escalating risks from outdated protocols and misconfigurations that weren't designed for modern threats. Cisco's approach shifts responsibility away from administrators manually hardening systems."

"The initiative accelerates retirement of older capabilities embedded across networking platforms. This includes deprecating risky features, tightening baseline configurations and providing clearer guidance on hardware that should be phased out. There's a clear acquiescence to the fact companies will be slow to adapt, meaning the push for secure default configurations begins with a light tap on the shoulder. Initially, customers are set to receive security warnings recommending against insecure features."

Cisco is phasing out insecure legacy protocols and hardening default device configurations to build a more resilient infrastructure against modern threats. The initiative responds to AI-powered attack risks and prepares networks for post-quantum cryptography by making secure-by-default the baseline. The program accelerates retirement of older capabilities, deprecates risky features, tightens baseline settings, and gives clearer guidance on hardware replacement. Customers will receive progressive prompts: warnings first, then features disabled by default or requiring extra steps, and finally full removal. Widespread technical debt—48 percent of network assets aging or obsolete—heightens urgency and shifts remediation responsibility toward vendors.

Read at Techzine Global