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Technology Advances Forcing Subsystem Change

publish date: 2026/06/24 21:32:30.783253 UTC

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A company relies on a payment processing subsystem that uses an encryption protocol that has since been deprecated industry-wide due to discovered vulnerabilities. Why does this kind of technology advance force the subsystem to change or risk becoming useless?

If the subsystem keeps using the deprecated protocol, it may become insecure, unsupported by partner systems, or unable to pass compliance checks, eventually making it unusable

Deprecated protocols always continue to work exactly as well as new ones indefinitely

Technology advances never actually affect software subsystems once they are deployed

The subsystem will automatically and silently update itself to the new protocol with no developer effort

Correct Answer

If the subsystem keeps using the deprecated protocol, it may become insecure, unsupported by partner systems, or unable to pass compliance checks, eventually making it unusable

Explanation

When the technology a subsystem depends on becomes obsolete or deprecated, the subsystem risks losing security guarantees, interoperability with partner systems that have moved on, and compliance certification. Over time, an unmodified subsystem built on obsolete technology risks becoming unusable, illustrating why software must adapt to technology changes to remain useful.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 10th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

Software Evolution - Exercises