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In January 2024, the National Vulnerability Database received over 1,830 new CVEs. That added up to the other already registered 234,632.
Security Officers in charge of closing vulnerabilities need to focus on what to fix first and patching before hackers exploit them.
Let’s see how you can set up a smart and fast patch management process.
Key takeaways
To make patching an easier task for your security team, set a clear patch management policy.
Then create an effective patch management process.
Make it clear which member of the IT staff is responsible for which step of the process.
Make sure you know what you need to protect before you get to work.
The first step of a successful patch management process is a thorough inventory of all potentially exposed assets.
The inventory list should include:
Asset inventory – See all software in the Heimdal Dashboard
Internet-facing assets pose the highest risk of becoming a target for hackers.
Now it’s the moment to create device groups based on operating systems and critical status.
All software has flaws.
Vendors like Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Atlassian, etc. regularly release patches for known vulnerabilities.
Keep an eye on new releases and track the old known vulnerabilities.
Search for missing patches.
Use vulnerability management tools to detect vulnerabilities in your system.
Take your time to prioritize patches. Not all vulnerabilities are equally threatening and not all devices are equally exposed.
There are so many known flaws that there’s not enough time or workforce to patch everything.
You’ll have to choose. Here are three elements you should base your choice on:
Get the patches you need from the vendor. Test them in a controlled environment before going live.
Document both the testing process and its results.
Check how your devices, software versions, and overall system will react to the updates.
Operating system or software updates can make them run slow, block, overlook safety measures, etc.
You should always have a backup to revert to in case things go wrong.
Testing can seem like a tedious task that slows down the patching process, but it pays off.
Here are some of the patch testing benefits.
Testing allows you to catch any issues that could interfere with the company’s workflow.
Make the adjustments you need to ensure business operations continue to run smoothly.
See if the patch conflicts with existing systems or applications.
Checking compatibility helps avoid slowdowns or outages in your critical systems.
Patches are bits of software, and no software is flawless.
So, before installing patches, test them to see if they resolve the vulnerability without creating new bugs or security holes.
Keep workflow smooth by scheduling patch deployment at a convenient time for your organization.
Based on the company’s specific and day-to-day tasks, assess when the best time is to update software.
If your company activates in the educational sector, for example, the best time for patching might be in the evening or during weekends.
Take time to observe when the devices in your system are less used.
Communicate with the company’s employees so they understand why patching is important and should be a priority.
If your organization is medium to large, my recommendation is to go for an automated patch management tool.
Best patch management solutions come with the possibility to schedule patching at your own pace.
Prepare the deployment package that will get the patch from the IT admin to the company’s computers.
This package is also known as a group policy object and includes:
Professional, automated patch management tools can also help with this step.
In a hybrid work environment, you need to be able to safely apply patches remotely.
If you patch manually, you’ll need to write scripts for the deployment package every time you patch.
Additionally, you’ll only be able to patch office-located devices.
You’ll have to postpone deploying patches on devices that belong to people who work remote or are on leave.
This is good news for the hackers since you’ll be slower to close a known vulnerability.
The last step of the patch management process is to monitor, check the results, and document everything for the record:
Take the necessary steps to remediate the issue and apply patches.
Documenting how the patch deployment step succeeded or failed is useful intelligence for future diagnosis.
You can also use it in incident response, and compliance reports.
Here are some aspects that will give you and your team a hard time if you patch manually.
Deciding which patch to test and deploy first can be stressful.
Lots of companies use different OSes for different departments.
IT teams could work on Linux, Accounts on Windows, and Marketing on MacOS, for example.
Moving to a hybrid or remote work environment brings a lack of visibility and control.
BYOD work policies also complicate endpoint security.
Third-party software includes apps like Adobe, Google Chrome, Zoom, TeamViewer, etc.
Each third-party app you install on the company’s endpoints expands the overall attack surface.
Why? Because all software has vulnerabilities.
People in the IT or Security teams are usually highly qualified.
Having enough hands on the deck to cover the patching process properly depends on the company’s budget and the available workforce.
Proper patch management is not enough to keep the IT infrastructure safe.
Integrating it with other tools, like Endpoint Detection and Response or DNS security, increases safety and incident response efficiency.
That’s why the trend in cybersecurity is to use unified platforms, that integrate and automate processes.
Heimdal’s MXDR suite, for example, comes with integrated vulnerability management, patching included.
