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Replace devices that no longer get security updates
Why it matters: Unsupported devices collect known holes that will never be fixed, and they won't receive the newer encryption arriving over the next few years.
Do it
- Check each device's update screen; anything that says it can't update further goes on the replacement list.
- Retire the riskiest first: anything you bank or shop on, and the router.
- Back up, sign out of accounts, then factory-reset before selling, donating or recycling.
- When buying, check how long the maker promises updates.
Check it worked: No phone, computer, tablet or router in the house runs an operating system its maker has stopped updating, and retired devices are wiped before they leave.
Simply put
An unsupported device is like a car whose maker no longer makes parts: every known fault stays unfixed. Replacing the riskiest first closes holes that would never be fixed, and wiping old ones keeps your data from leaving with them.
In detail
NIST published its first post-quantum encryption standards in 2024 (FIPS 203, 204 and 205), and operating systems and browsers are rolling them in through updates. An unsupported device is where that transition stops.
Points toward the Long View: a house where every device can receive the newer encryption arriving through updates.