: Under its Security Vulnerability Policy , Cisco may provide free software updates to non-contract customers to address high-severity security issues. To request these, you usually must contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) and reference the specific Security Advisory.
While most downloads require a paid subscription, Cisco provides a few legal "free" avenues: cisco ios free download ftp
: Some newer platforms offer Evaluation Right-To-Use (RTU) licenses that let you test full features for 60 days. How to Download from the Official Center : Under its Security Vulnerability Policy , Cisco