Patch Management

Patch management is the process of acquiring, testing, and deploying software updates to fix vulnerabilities, improve functionality, and ensure system security.

Patch management is a critical security practice to keep systems updated and protected against known vulnerabilities.

Patch management lifecycle: 1. Discovery: Identify all assets requiring updates 2. Assessment: Evaluate patches for relevance and risk 3. Prioritization: Rank patches by criticality (CVSS scores) 4. Testing: Validate patches in non-production environment 5. Deployment: Roll out patches systematically 6. Verification: Confirm successful installation 7. Documentation: Maintain records for compliance

Best practices: - Maintain complete asset inventory - Automate where possible - Critical patches within 7-14 days - Regular patching schedule (monthly) - Exceptions require documented risk acceptance

Patching reduces your attack surface more than any other single control.

Why It Matters

Unpatched vulnerabilities are the most common entry point for cyberattacks—the majority of successful exploits target known vulnerabilities with available patches. Compliance frameworks universally require documented patch management processes with defined timelines. Organizations that automate patching and maintain 14-day SLAs for critical patches reduce their attack surface more effectively than any other single security control.

Key Points

Critical patches should be applied within 14 days

Requires accurate asset inventory

Automation reduces effort and improves consistency

Testing before production deployment is essential

Most effective control for reducing attack surface

Applicable Compliance Frameworks

SOC 2 ISO 27001 HIPAA PCI DSS NIST CSF

Related Terms

Vulnerability Assessment

A vulnerability assessment is an automated process of identifying security weaknesses in systems, networks, and applications without actively exploiting them.

Change Management

Change management is a structured process for planning, approving, implementing, and documenting changes to IT systems to minimize risk of unintended disruptions or security issues.