Learn why Steel-Belted RADIUS server's end-of-life status puts your network at risk and how to plan your migration to a secure, future-proof authentication solution.
If you're still running Steel-Belted RADIUS server (SBR), you're operating on borrowed time. SBR Enterprise and Global Enterprise reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020. The Carrier Edition's End of Engineering came on February 28, 2023, followed by End of Support on September 30, 2023. For those keeping score, that means SBR is officially dead. Done. Deceased.
Steel-Belted RADIUS was a decent solution when it was first developed. As it moved from company to company through acquisitions, though, it’s gotten less ongoing investment and upkeep, ultimately leading to its current obsolescence.
The downside is straightforward: SBR is out of support, and it’s only going to degrade from here.
The reality of running SBR in 2025
Using an “end of life” AAA server (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) is like leaving the keys to your house under the doormat and hoping nobody notices. You might not see consequences immediately, but it's only a matter of time before something goes wrong. Here's what you're facing:
No security updates
Running unsupported authentication infrastructure dramatically increases your risk of a data breach, as attackers actively target known vulnerabilities in legacy systems.
The BlastRADIUS vulnerability is a critical flaw in the RADIUS protocol that allows unauthorized users to bypass authentication, potentially gaining access to your network. This vulnerability remains unpatched in SBR. When this affects your network, there's no hotline to call, no emergency patch coming, no support whatsoever.
Even the latest version of SBR Carrier 8.6.0 has substantial security limitations:
- No support for TLS v1.3.
- Uses outdated libraries (OpenSSL 1.1.1o, Expat 2.4.8, Bouncy Castle 1.60, Jetty 9.4.14).
- Runs on aging platforms (mainly Red Hat 7.x operating system, which itself has reached end of support).
No protocol updates
Modern networks require modern protocols. As mentioned, SBR doesn't support EAP-TLS with TLS 1.3, which is rapidly becoming the standard. As device manufacturers update their firmware, you'll start seeing compatibility problems that can't be fixed with your existing SBR installation.
Compliance issues
If you're in a regulated industry, running end-of-life AAA servers for network infrastructure is a compliance red flag. When auditors see unsupported software controlling network access, they tend to get nervous—and for good reason.
No support when you need it
Let's be brutally honest: when authentication breaks, everything breaks. Without vendor support, you're on your own when SBR fails.
Assessing your current SBR implementation
Before you make any migration decisions, you need to understand what you actually have:
- What's your current SBR dependency level?
Map out every system that depends on SBR for authentication. This often extends further than you initially think. - What authentication methods are you using?
Many organizations implement complex authentication schemes but only use a fraction of the capabilities. Knowing what you're actually using will streamline your migration. - What's your user database integration?
Are you using Active Directory, LDAP, SQL, or another database? Understanding this integration is critical for a seamless migration. - How many authentications per second do you process?
This determines your performance requirements. We've seen organizations vastly overestimate their needs, paying for capacity they never use. - What features do you absolutely need vs. what came bundled?
SBR has numerous features, but you're probably only using a handful. Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves.
Common myths about RADIUS migration
There are several misconceptions that hold people back from making necessary changes.
Myth 1: "SBR has been working fine for years, so there’s no reason to change it."
This is the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" fallacy. The problem is, it is broken—you just can't see the cracks yet. Running unsupported authentication infrastructure is like driving a car with worn brake pads. It works fine until it suddenly doesn't, usually at the worst possible moment.
Myth 2: "We need a commercial RADIUS server with a GUI."
Most organizations think they need a graphical interface because they're accustomed to SBR's GUI. But let me ask you: how often do you actually change your authentication and authorization policies? Once a year? The rest of the time you're just adding or removing user accounts, which happens through your user management system, not your RADIUS server.
A good RADIUS implementation integrates with your existing user management system. You don't need to replace it or pay for features you'll rarely use.
Myth 3: "RADIUS migration is high-risk and will disrupt our network."
With proper planning, migrating from SBR can be remarkably low-risk. We've helped organizations smoothly transition to FreeRADIUS while maintaining complete network functionality. The key is running both systems in parallel during testing and cutover phases.
Myth 4: "We'll need to rebuild all our policies."
This assumes your next solution forces you to adapt to it, rather than adapting to you. That's true for some commercial products that want to own everything, but it's not how a properly designed migration should work. Your authentication and authorization policies should be preserved and enhanced, not replaced.
Immediate steps for SBR administrators
If you're not ready to migrate immediately, there are steps you should take to reduce your risk in the interim:
- Document everything.
Create comprehensive documentation of your current SBR configuration, including all authentication and authorization policies, user databases, integrations with wireless networks, and wireless access point configurations. - Set up monitoring.
Implement robust monitoring of your SBR server to detect performance degradation or failures quickly. Configure logging to track authentication attempts by IP address to help identify potential attack patterns. - Isolate your RADIUS traffic.
Place your SBR server on a secure, isolated network segment to reduce the risk of exploitation through vulnerabilities like BlastRADIUS. - Create a disaster recovery plan.
Develop and test procedures for quickly restoring authentication services if your SBR server fails. - Start planning your migration.
Even if you're not ready to migrate immediately, begin researching alternatives and developing a migration strategy.
FreeRADIUS: The logical SBR replacement
When considering alternatives to SBR, FreeRADIUS has become the de facto standard in the industry. It provides comprehensive authentication, authorization, and accounting capabilities that match or exceed what SBR offers. We started the FreeRADIUS project 25 years ago, and it now authenticates more than half the internet. Major ISPs, cloud providers, Fortune 500 companies, universities, and telecoms all rely on it daily.
We have migrated many customers from SBR to FreeRADIUS. The process takes time, as anything that impacts production systems should take time. But it’s not complex, it’s just a matter of planning, testing, and upgrades.
As a benefit, you will get software with not only up to date security, but which also handles databases like Redis, Oracle, or sqlite. This flexibility means that your system design is limited only by your imagination, and not by any artificial restrictions of a commercial product.
Our recommendation to any network admin is straightforward: take the money that you would have spent on commercial licenses and use it to buy more hardware. Install FreeRADIUS on those machines with our help, and you will end up with a more reliable, more scalable solution at a lower total cost of ownership.
Plus, you can be guaranteed that FreeRADIUS will never be marked “end of life”. While we periodically release new versions of the software, all of the FreeRADIUS source is available online, going back to 1999! This means that unlike commercial products, FreeRADIUS will never go away.
The key to a successful migration is understanding that you don't need to adapt to your RADIUS server—it should adapt to you. If you already have Active Directory or another user management system, you can configure FreeRADIUS to work with it. If you have custom authentication policies, you can implement them in FreeRADIUS.
Moving forward
At InkBridge Networks, we've helped organizations of all sizes migrate to FreeRADIUS, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption. Unlike vendors who try to sell you a one-size-fits-all solution, we design authentication and authorization systems that integrate with your existing infrastructure and meet your specific needs.
Don't wait until your SBR server fails at the worst possible moment. Start planning your migration now. Your network security depends on it.
Learn more about migrating from Steel-Belted RADIUS server to FreeRADIUS
Need help?
At InkBridge Networks, we've spent decades helping educational institutions build resilient, secure campus networks that balance academic freedom with robust protection. Our team includes engineers who have implemented AAA solutions for some of the world's largest university systems and contributed to the protocols that power global academic networks like eduroam. If your institution is facing network challenges or planning infrastructure updates, explore our solutions for educational institutions or request a quote for your specific needs.
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