Credit Where Credit Is Due
Fixes [...] are available – if you have a Cisco service contract [...] If not, you'll have to ask the Cisco Technical Assistance Center really nicely.
Twice I was in the position where I had to seek security fixes for Cisco gear with lapsed SMARTnet agreements. Twice Cisco came up with the goods, though not after a protracted 20-30 minute phone call with the TAC each time.
I really am grateful that Cisco is committed to supporting even lapsed equipment, but I have always wondered why they don't simply dump their security updates on their website. By all means Cisco, place them behind a registration wall so that you can collect whichever metrics are of interest to you, but is dedicating TAC resources to this truly worth the cost?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
