How long must a PSTI support period be?
The 2023 Regulations took effect on 29 April 2024 and do not set one minimum number of years for every product. For the hardware and software categories listed in Schedule 1 paragraph 3 that can receive security updates, the manufacturer determines a product-specific and must publish the minimum length of time for which security updates will be provided, together with an end date.
The period concerns security updates, not the warranty, ordinary customer support, spare-parts availability, or the product's expected lifetime. Those periods may differ. The published end date is the minimum commitment that the customer can identify for the relevant product.
- Identify every product model and associated software or service covered by the security-update requirement.
- Set the period using the product's risks, dependencies, service model, component support, and planned market life; PSTI does not prescribe the calculation method.
- Approve a calendar end date and the supporting period calculation before the product is made available.
Requires the manufacturer to publish the minimum security-update period and an end date and defines the information's scope.
Explains the minimum-period and end-date requirement in operational terms.